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Customer raises $800,000 for 78-year-old DoorDash driver who took up job to pay for wife's medication
A woman's incredible act of kindness for an elderly DoorDash driver who delivered an order to her house has gone viral - and likely changed his life.
The story began on Tuesday, when Brittany Smith, from Manchester, Tennessee, discovered her daughter's father had ordered Starbucks for her.
She told The Independent: "I was actually mad about it, because he often orders Starbucks for her, but we try to do it as more of a reward, and this was the third time he had ordered for her in the week.
"So, I see the Ring doorbell go off, and I'm like, you've got to be kidding me, he had Starbucks sent again."
However, when she clicked onto her Ring doorbell app, she was stunned to see a "little old man walking up the steps" to her home.
Brittany added: "This poor guy is struggling to get up my stairs to deliver my very capable daughter her Starbucks.
"My daughter's dad is a quadriplegic, so he often has things sent to the house because he can't physically go get them."
Seeing the man struggling to get up to her door to deliver, she instructed her daughter's father to send a bigger tip but he was unable to do so through the app.
Brittany turned to social media to track down the driver, sharing the 20-second clip of the elderly man gripping the handrail as he climbed the steps outside her home.
A Facebook user recognized Richard, 78, who regularly delivered DoorDash orders to her office, and passed on his full name, which Brittany has withheld at Richard's request.
She was then able to track down his address and spotted the car he had delivered her order in on the driveway, and knocked on his door to offer him a $200 tip.
Brittany revealed: "Before he accepted the money … he wanted to make sure that I was going to be OK if he accepted that money from me."
After speaking with him, Richard told Brittany that he'd turned to being a DoorDash driver after his wife lost her job through no fault of her own and the couple struggled to afford the "very expensive" medication she requires. He admitted that after paying for their necessities, they did not have enough money left over, so he took up a job with the delivery app.
When Brittany got home, she realized the footage of Richard had gone viral on TikTok, with people flooding her messages asking how they can help him.
She launched a GoFundMe titled "Give Richard a chance to rest again", and was stunned to see it take off instantly.
As of the time of writing, $791,760 has been raised for Richard, with the total climbing rapidly.
Brittany revealed: "Richard said he's not slept in two days because he can't quit watching the GoFundMe."
The sum will likely have a life-changing effect on Richard and his wife, and give him some breathing space financially.
Brittany confirmed: "He's more precious in person, so I'm glad that I got to meet him."