Morgan Wheeler believes she found her angel outside a local Walmart.
The 21-year-old from Fayetteville, West Virginia, met a man who was struggling to cross the street Wednesday. Once she spotted him, she felt the urge to get out and ask if she could assist him, but the man, who she believes is in his 60s or 70s, said he didn’t need any help.
That didn’t stop her from insisting on wheeling him into the store. As they walked, they found out about each other's lives. She told him about her nephews and horses, while he mentioned that he’s a veteran and had just lost his wife.
“He was very grumpy at first, but you could tell he was a proud veteran,” Wheeler told TODAY.com. “I really wanted to help him so I pushed through his comfort zone a bit.”
He handed her a grocery list with four items on it: peanut butter, soup, bananas and bread. After picking them out, she asked if he needed more basic items, such as milk, eggs or butter, and he said he was worried he wouldn’t make it home without them going bad.
Once she heard how he wheeled himself all the way to the highway and hitchhiked with a trucker to get to Walmart, she immediately called him a taxi and bought him the extra items.
“He started crying when I placed a gallon of milk in his cart,” Wheeler said. “That’s when I knew I had really helped him.”
She went home and posted the story online, hoping to inspire 300 of her closest Facebook friends at most. Within hours, the post skyrocketed and now has more than 170,000 shares.
“I’m so glad the post has touched so many people,” Wheeler said. “There are far too many people like that gentleman who need help and I want to encourage everyone to help others. Trust me, it will be a very humbling experience.”