An elderly woman has received $137,342, the equivalent of £109,682, to help her in retirement.
Carmen Kelly, 82, from Arizona was working as a greeter at her local Walmart in Apache Junction before becoming the focus of a GoFundMe fundraiser.
The fundraising campaign was launched after a customer had been moved by the vibrant senior continuing to work into her old age.
On her job working as a greeter for Walmart, the 82-year-old said that she “loves it so much”.
However, the supermarket employee was forced to take on her job due to the skyrocketing healthcare costs which piled up over time.
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Speaking to 12 News, she explained: “I don’t feel 82. My life has been up and down, up and down. They say these are the golden years.
“I was in the emergency room umpteen times and then ran out of money.”
One customer who appreciated Ms Kelly’s presence as her local Walmart greet was Liz Rizzo.
Ms Rizzo said: “When I saw her and walked in the door, my heart just cracked open. The seniors need to be taken care of because they took care of us.”
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When the pair met each other, Ms Kelly only had $50 (£39.93) left in her bank account to get through till the next week.
Wanting to do a good deed, Ms Rizzo decided to share the senior’s story with her followers on TikTok and set up a GoFundMe page with a $10,000 (£7,986.10) goal.
On the fundraiser page, she wrote: “I was shopping in Walmart in Arizona and spoke with Carmen an 82-year-old woman; the door greeter. She was leaning on a shopping cart with her cane inside the cart. It broke my heart to see this elderly woman having to work.
“I asked Carmen why she was working at 82 and she said because of her high medical bills.
“I am asking my TikTok family to donate any amount to help Carmen. I have her contact information and will follow up with her and post videos. I will give her all of the funds raised.”
As of today, the viral fundraiser has now been given $137,342 (£109,682) in donations with over 9,300 contributions.
In reaction to the GoFundMe’s success, Carmen added: “My life is going to change so much. It is a miracle. I can’t ever thank you enough. These will be the golden years for me.”
Originally, the 82-year-old planned to continue working at Walmart part-time but has since been able to retire fully instead.
Now a retiree, she plans to buy a house which is closer to her grandson and great-granddaughter to be nearer them.
Below the GoFundMe fundraiser, people who have made donations can leave comments in support of Ms Kelly.
One person named Ashley Farkas said: “Carmen seems like such a sweetheart. What a kind generous woman.
“Give her strength and time with a smile. I hope you can get some extra money to be able to work less and rest Carmen.”
Express.co.uk reached out to Walmart for comment.
