Nik Rajkovic / Jessica Mathews / News@whmi.com


A retired Army veteran and Brighton Meijer cashier can now retire for good and rest easy after receiving nearly $1.8 (M) million for his retirement through a GoFundMe campaign that went viral in recent days.

A store customer who knew 88-year-old Ed Bambas’ story reached out to popular Australian TikTok influencer Samuel Weidenhofer, who shared Ed's story in an attempt to help raise money for his retirement.

Bambas was surprised with a big check and presentation at Foguth Financial Group in Brighton Friday afternoon.

It was an emotional moment and Bambas thanked everyone, saying “I wish my wife were here”. He said he was “totally surprised and I can’t express in any words how thankful I am”.

Bambas earlier said "I retired from General Motors in '99. In 2012, they went bankrupt and Bambas said he chose to receive a $300,000 lump sum payment — and stopped receiving pension benefits. His wife passed away seven years ago. She had become sick when Ed lost his pension. Bambas said they also “took the health care coverage and all but $10,000 of my life insurance. So, I sold the house. I sold the property I had and we made it through. My wife died seven years ago, and since then, I've been trying to re-establish myself."

GM provided the following statement to WHMI:

“Mr. Bambas’ personal story is deeply moving, and it’s wonderful to see the outpouring of support for him. We are grateful for what he has contributed to GM and to our country. While we don't share details about individuals, in 2012 salaried GM retirees who were receiving monthly pension payments were given several options, including continuation of monthly lifetime payments or a lump sum payout, if they preferred. Additionally, starting in 2008, retirees older than 65 receive a $300 monthly lifetime payment for supplemental Medicare coverage.”

That video of Ed gained millions of views from people around the world, and the GoFundMe campaign quickly exceeded set goals.

Bambas said he plans to spend some time with his remaining family and will probably work for another month or two.

Videos of the presentation can be viewed on the WHMI News Facebook page. That link is provided.