Photo: TikTok
A heartwarming good deed!
By Nia Tipton — Written on Dec 16, 2022
A good samaritan decided to help out after noticing an elderly Walmart employee working while using a cane.
In a TikTok video, Liz Rizzo noticed an 82-year-old woman working at Walmart and didn't think twice about trying to help her out.
She launched a fundraiser to help out the Walmart worker, 82-year-old Carmen.
At the start of the video, Rizzo noticed the woman, Carmen, helping out a customer while pushing a cart with her cane resting inside of it.
"Look at this woman having to work at Walmart, with her cane," Rizzo pointed out.
She then approached the elderly woman with the intent to learn her name.
When Rizzo asked Carmen if she needed to work at Walmart, she answered that she does.
"Don't they give you a chair," Rizzo asked, referring to the fact that Carmen has to stand on her feet all day and has to use a cane.
"No," Carmen replied. "I don't need it, I have this," pointing to the cart she had been using to support her weight.
Rizzo then promised that she'd make sure the video went "viral," so that Carmen would be able to "get some help."
Carmen appears ecstatic about it, smiling while clutching her chest.
"Everyone, she's 82 years old, and working at Walmart, let's help her out," Rizzo concluded.
In a follow-up video, Rizzo told Carmen they had raised almost half of the money she needed.
Shortly after noticing Carmen in Walmart, Rizzo launched a GoFundMe account to raise $10,000 for the 82-year-old woman.
In the description of the fundraiser, Rizzo wrote, "I was shopping in Walmart in Arizona and spoke with Carmen... the door greeter."
"I spoke to several other Walmart employees and the store policy says employees can't sit down while working. I asked Carmen why she was working at 82, and she said because of her high medical bills."
Just two days after Rizzo made her initial video, urging people to donate to help Carmen with her medical bills, the fundraiser was halfway to its goal of $10,000.
Rizzo decided to go back to Walmart to deliver the good news to Carmen face-to-face, letting her know that she had gone viral on TikTok.
"I came back to Walmart to film Carmen, to give her the news," Rizzo announced as she walked up and greeted the elderly woman.
When she informed Carmen that her TikTok video had hit over a million views, a huge grin overtook the 82-year-old woman's face, as she appeared to be in disbelief.
"And, we raised almost half of your $10,000 medical bills," Rizzo told Carmen. "When it's all done, I'm going to make sure you get all your bills paid."
"Thank you very much," Carmen told the camera, smiling and clutching her chest.
"Will you be able to retire after this?" Rizzo asked her, to which Carmen replied that she "hoped so."
As of December 16, the fundraiser has exceeded its original amount, now standing at over $90,000.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.