A GoFundMe campaign for an 81-year-old Texas man who was seen hauling suitcases to help pay for his wife’s cancer treatment was shut down after the platform said it uncovered “factual misrepresentations.”
The fundraiser for Donald Johnson of The Colony, a Dallas suburb, had raised more than $200,000 before it was deactivated this week.
“Our Trust & Safety team identified factual misrepresentations, which directly violates our Terms of Service,” a GoFundMe spokesperson said in a statement provided to The Independent.
“As a result, the fundraiser has been removed and all donors have been refunded,” the statement read. “Ensuring GoFundMe is a safe and trusted place to give and receive help is our top priority. Taking action like this allows GoFundMe to protect donors’ generosity and our continued ability to support people who are fundraising to help others.”
The campaign was set up after Erin Howell, a local resident, spotted Johnson struggling with heavy bags.
“The other day, I looked out my door cam and saw an 81-year-old man slowly and painstakingly carrying my heavy luggage that had been lost on a recent flight up a steep flight of stairs,” Howell wrote in a GoFundMe entry. “He looked absolutely exhausted, and his steps were heavy with effort.”
After speaking with him, she learned that Johnson began working as an independent contractor delivering lost luggage to people's homes three years ago to help pay for his wife, Josephine, who is battling cancer, Howell wrote. The couple has been together for 57 years.
Howell asked Johnson why he picked such a physically demanding job, and he reportedly told her that it was the “only job that will hire me.”
“The staggering medical bills, continuous treatments, expensive prescription medications, and everyday costs of living have completely overwhelmed them,” Howell wrote of Johnson's situation. “At an age when he should be resting and spending every precious single moment by his wife's side, he is out on the road lifting heavy bags just to keep her alive and cared for.”
Howell said she started the GoFundMe to help Johnson retire without having to give up on paying for his wife's cancer treatments.
She said that all of the money raised would go toward paying for Josephine's medical bills, which would allow Johnson to stop working and focus solely on caring for his wife. She added that Johnson was unlikely to ask for help.
“He is a deeply proud, selfless, and dedicated husband who would never ask for charity himself, which is exactly why I am stepping in… to start this GoFundMe campaign,” Howell wrote. “He shouldn't have to carry this crushing financial and physical weight all by himself anymore.”
Before it was deactivated this week, the fundraiser had garnered over $281,000 in donations, according to Dallas station Fox 4.
In an interview with Fox 4, Donald and Josephine Johnson said they were extremely grateful to everyone who donated to help support them.
“I think I'm going to be able to stop working, and that's amazing,” Donald Johnson said. His wife added: “Some have made comments and they're praying for us. And it's just, it's a joyful feeling.”
It is not clear what specific “factual misrepresentations” were uncovered by GoFundMe. The Independent has sought further information.
