An 82-year-old Walmart employee with just $50 in her bank account and who uses a cane to get around received more than $130,000 as a gift from kind-hearted strangers.
Carman Kelly, 82, of Arizona, has been working at Apache Junction Walmart for a little over two years to support her hefty medical bills.
“Well, I’ve been to the ER a couple of times and I’ve run out of money,” she said news 12, laugh. ‘My life has been ups and downs, ups and downs. They say these are the golden years, but what’s golden about that?’
“My Walmart money has helped me pay for groceries, gas and other things,” she told Good Morning America (GMA).
Carman’s world turned a lot more golden after meeting Liz Rizzo, who was shopping at the store and noticed the Walmart greeter leaning on a shopping cart with a stick in the basket.
“When I saw her walking in the door, my heart just opened up,” Liz told the news outlet. “The world’s seniors need to be taken care of because they took care of us.”
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Carman Kelly, 82, of Arizona, who uses a cane to get around (pictured in cart), has been working at Apache Junction Walmart for a little over two years to help pay for her hefty medical bills
Carman said she has to work to pay for her emergency room and medical bills, which total around $10,000
She met Liz Rizzo (right) during her shift at Walmart. After discovering the 82-year-old had to work to survive, she started a GoFundMe that has since raised $133,000
In TikTok, which has been viewed 15.5 million times, Liz asked the friendly Walmart employee if she “needed to work here.”
Carman sadly replied, “Yes.” And when asked why Walmart didn’t provide her with a chair, she said to Liz, “No need, I have that,” pointing to her shopping cart.
According to several employees Liz spoke to, company policy states that employees are not allowed to sit during their shift.
However, Walmart said in a statement to AZ Family that it “honors reasonable accommodation” and has “a long history of working with employees with disabilities.”
Liz started a GoFundMe for Carman and set a goal of $10,000 – the total of her medical bills – which they originally thought would never be reached. But much to Carman and Liz’s surprise, the fundraiser raised more than $133,000 in two weeks.
Little did she know when she started the fundraiser for Carman that the elderly woman only had $50 in her bank account, which she said “would last me through next week.”
Now, according to Liz, the $133,000 will go into a trust to ensure the money goes directly to Carman. The 82-year-old and her family are also working with a financial advisor to help manage the large sum of money.
THE POWER OF PEOPLE❤️
Liz Rizzo didn’t know Carman Kelly, the 82-year-old Walmart greeter, who donned a cane and smiled as she walked in.
But Liz couldn’t help but wonder why Carman was still working?
Liz quickly made a TikTok. Before she knew it, she changed Carman’s life. @12News pic.twitter.com/2puHTYRhdH
– Bianca Buono (@BiancaBuono) December 17, 2022
Carman “hopes” to retire after receiving the money she is expected to receive before the New Year, calling Liz her “guardian angel”.
Carman should receive the money before the new year.
In an update video, Carman thanked the strangers who helped her and said she “hopes” to retire after using the money to pay off her medical bills.
“My life is going to change so much,” Carman told News 12. “It’s a miracle. I can’t thank you enough,” she told Liz, who she calls her “guardian angel.”
“I mean, she was a complete stranger to me and it’s like God sent her to me. And I really feel that way because she was absolutely wonderful,” she told GMA.
‘These will be the golden years for me!’ she told News 12 with a beaming smile on her face.
Carman plans to move out of her current home and into assisted living to help her if she falls after receiving the money.
Still shocked at how far her TikTok reaches, Liz now encourages others to “be kind.”
“My main purpose in this whole thing is to inspire others to do what I’ve done,” she told GMA. “Just go out and help someone. You don’t have to do a fundraiser. You can do everything.’