Photo: Today
The 54-year-old father of four was brought to tears when he saw his family, telling co-hostsSavannah GuthrieandCraig Melvinthat it’s the first time he’s seen them in 4 years.
“I haven’t seen them,” Ford said, hugging his grandkids and wiping his eyes from tears. “I haven’t touched my grandchildren or anything.”
When asked what this special moment meant to the family, Seryna — Ford’s daughter and mom to kids Charlotte, Caroline and Jovonne — toldToday, “It’s a lot to take in, honestly.”
“It means a lot,” she said. “It means a lot to us.”
Ford has worked at the Las Vegas McCarren International Airport for nearly three decades as an employee ofHMSHost, a food service company for restaurants like Burger King and Cinnabon.
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Last week, a coworker shared a video on Instagram of Ford showing off the gifts he received from a manager in honor of his 27th year, which included things like Starbucks reusable cup, two bags of candy, and some movie ticket vouchers. The video laterwent viral on TikTok, with commenters demanding he receive more for his long, unwavering service.
Seryna later created aGoFundMepage for her dad to show her own appreciation of him.
“[My dad] originally began working at this job as a single father when he gained custody of me and my older sister 27 years ago,” she explained in her post. “Then as our family grew and he remarried, he continue to work here because of the amazing health insurance that was provided through this employer because it was unionized, which got all four of his daughters through high school and college with full healthcare coverage. My dad continues to work here, because though he does look young, he is coming up on retirement age and leaving would cost him his retirement.”
She said in her post she was hoping to raise $200 for a plane ticket to allow him to come visit her and her children. Instead, it’s raised $212,962 and counting, with actorDavid Spadeeven donating $5,000.
“I didn’t have high expectations when I posted it, honestly,” Seryna said onToday, “It definitely exceeded expectations.”
“My dad deserves the world to me, in my opinion,” Seryna added. “My dad gave me the world. My dad made me the person that I am. I love my dad more than I can ever put into word.”
Today
Ford stressed on Tuesday that he was extremely thankful for the generosity of all who have donated.
“I just can’t believe this. Thank you, thank you everybody. I just want to tell everybody out there, thank you for every cent. Just the thought of watching the video and just having a reason to smile. I want to thank everybody,” he said. “There’s been donations from Australia, the U.K. — all around the world. I just want to say thank you to everybody. It’s just a dream come true. It’s just a whirlwind of love. Spread the love, cause every day you need it.”
He also clarified that he is still grateful for the gift he got from his manager, saying his original video was meant to thank his boss, not complain. “I was just grateful to have it. I’m still grateful!” he said. “I have that [Starbucks] cup in my room!”
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“I don’t know how I did it,” he said. “It’s just something… you just work. You got to feed these kids and put them through school. I never even thought of missing a day.”
As to why he feels his story resonated with people, Ford said, “I think it just has to do with the fact that people love to see somebody grateful for something and happy for the little things, which I am. I’ve been through a lot, everybody’s been through a lot. So I look for the smaller things. I’m grateful for everything. I’m grateful for every day that I wake up and go to work and be a good citizen, be a good American”
Seeing their grandfather work so hard has certainly made a lasting impression on his grandkids.
His grandson toldTodayhe learned an important lesson from his grandpa: “Don’t be greedy.”
Dave Quinn
source: people.com
