Online donors rally to support 81-year-old Texas man working to pay wife's cancer bills

Online donors are rallying around an 81-year-old Texas man who has taken on difficult work — the only job he could land — to help pay for his wife's healthcare needs.

Donald Johnson works as an independent contractor delivering lost luggage to people's homes, and he was doing the grueling work when Erin Howell of The Colony, a suburb near Dallas, saw him struggling with some of the heavier 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 talking to him, she learned that Johnson started doing his luggage job three years ago to help pay for his wife, Josephine, who is battling cancer. 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."

To make matters worse, since Johnson is an independent contractor, he has to use his own car for deliveries. He reportedly has put more than 200,000 miles on his car delivering luggage, and the miles have taken their toll on the vehicle's condition.

Moved by Johnson's struggle and dedication to fight for his wife, Howell started a GoFundMe to help Johnson retire without having to give up on paying for his wife's cancer treatments.

Howell said that all of the money raised will go toward paying for Josephine's medical bills, which will allow Johnson to stop working and focus solely on caring for his wife.

As of Wednesday morning, the fundraiser has raised an impressive $87,000 of its $150,000 goal.

Howell said that she knew Johnson was unlikely to ask for help, so she started to fundraise on her own.

"He is a deeply proud, selfless, and dedicated husband who would never ask for charity himself, which is exactly why I am stepping in as to start this GoFundMe campaign," Howell wrote. "He shouldn't have to carry this crushing financial and physical weight all by himself anymore."