Garbage man surprises great grandmother on her 100th birthday with heartwarming gesture

Reaching 100 years old is certainly a cause for celebration with family and friends but one woman was also surprised by her trash collector who wanted to honor this special lady on her big day.

Advertisement

The friendship between garbage collector Ben Bird and his 100-year-old customer Dorothy Ballard went viral when it first hit the headlines in 2019.

Ben always makes a point of stopping to chat to Dorothy, who is known as Mercy, when he collects her trash every week at her home in Kidderminster, England, – something he’s been doing for the past decade.

“He talks about the family, he tells me about his little kids,” the 100-year-old said of the father-of-two.

“Then one day, when his wife had the baby – little girl – he said to me, ‘We’re going to call her Daisy’. And I said, ‘Oh how wonderful, do you know that was my mother’s name?’”

Advertisement

Ben said their friendship started with Mercy opening her door and thanking him.

“She makes me laugh every week,” he added.

Their bond has touched the hearts of millions after Ben and his colleagues visited Mercy with a special surprise to mark her 100th birthday.

The big-hearted bin man had promised his favorite customer: “Live to be 100 and I’ll bring you a cake for your big birthday.”

Advertisement

So when Mercy received her telegram from the Queen, as all UK residents do when they reach 100 years old, Ben showed up with a cake and candles to mark her special day.

A video of him walking up to her front door shielding the candles and then singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Mercy went viral.

Ben calls out to the great grandmother before singing ‘Happy Birthday to you’ along with two colleagues and then asks her to make a wish before blowing out her candles.

Thousands have commented on the video saying they hope their friendship continues.

“Restores your faith in humanity,” one person tweeted.

“Lovely story, may your friendship continue for years to come Mercy and Ben,” wrote another.

Ben and Mercy’s friendship is so adorable and I hope it continues.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

Advertisement

Related Posts

Son Makes Elderly Mother in Wheelchair Cry at Restaurant, Apologizes When Owner Steps In – Story of the Day

A young man took his disabled mother to a restaurant but ignored her until she dropped her water glass. He scolded her for it, making her cry,…

Kid Buys Dinner for Cops, Next Day Two Police Cars Stop at His Mom’s House — Story of the Day

Kid Buys Dinner for Cops, Next Day Two Police Cars Stop at His Mom’s House A boy sees two lonely policemen and spends the money he’d saved…

Pizza Delivery Man Risks Job Saving Old Lady Trapped in Fire, Next Day Boss Arrives at His Home — short story

A pizza delivery man fears losing his job after ditching his deliveries to save an older woman trapped in a fire. He turns off his phone to…

Little Boy Storms Into Dad’s Work a Day After His Death to Face Father’s Boss – Story of the Day

When his hardworking father died, little Kyle walked into his dad’s boss’ office to ask him one question face-to-face. The boss was unprepared to hear those words…

Older Lady Helps Single Dad Change Baby’s Diaper, Next Day He Arrives at Her Home in Luxe Car — Story of the Day

A single dad was in the zoo with his kids when he realized he had left his baby’s diapers at home. An older lady stepped in to…

Working Mom of Two Returns Home & Finds 5-Month-Old Son Alone and Asleep on the Floor — Story of the Day

Abby returned home from work to discover her five-month-old on the nursery room floor. He was never supposed to be alone in the first place, but there…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *