Johny Bobbit, a homeless veteran had no idea that karma will hit him so good when he without any thought spent his last $20 to buy gas for Kate McClure who happened to get stuck at Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. It was late in the night and she had no cash. Bobbit who was sitting right there under the bridge asked her to stay inside the car and keep it locked until he gets some help.
A few minutes later, he came up with a red can of gas which he bought with the last $20 he had. He never asked for his money back and Kate didn’t have any at that time. As a gesture of thanks, Kate came back and gave him a jacket, gloves, a hat, and socks. She would give him a few dollars each time she saw him. But she wanted to do more.
About two weeks after the incident took place, Kate McClure, with her boyfriend Mark D’Amico, who both live in New Jersey, decided to start a GoFundMe page. With it, they were hoping to raise $10,000, which would have been enough for paying off first and last month’s rent, a reliable vehicle and up to six months of expenses.
By the following Monday, the fund exceeded $376,000. More than 13,000 people have made donations, the GoFundMe page said. The story of Bobbitt’s and Kate’s good deeds ran in a local paper and later went viral. When asked Bobbit about the life-changing incident, this is all he said, “I just got her gas to help her get back on her way. I didn’t think anything about it. I wasn’t expecting anything in return. That’s how I got the money to start with, from other people. [I had to] return the favor. I can’t constantly take and not give back.” He is obviously overwhelmed with the kind of response and love that people have showered upon him and said “Of course I want to change my life. It’s like winning the lottery. This money was given to help me. Why not help other people in similar situations or people that are actively helping other people in different situations? Everybody out there is facing some kind of struggle, so if I can touch their lives, the way mine was touched, [it’d be] an amazing feeling, I want to feel the feeling on the opposite end.”
When asked about what he plans to do with all the money, Johny informed the media that he’ll surely find himself a place to live but has no intentions of splurging the money on a brand new car. He’ll rather buy a used car or a truck.
Bobbitt, is a native of North Carolina, became homeless because of problems with drugs and money. He’s been living on the streets for a year and a half. A friend of his living in the North Carolina informed the media that Bobby was a talented paramedic and is smart enough to become a doctor. He had also studied nursing and was a former firefighter as well. He also served in the Marine Corps as an ammunition technician.
His records dated back to 2001 mentions about his arrest. Talking about his past mistakes, Bobbit takes all the blames of what he’s become. He is well aware of the times when he went astray and totally blames himself for his current situations. The 34-year homeless veteran plans to recertify himself as a paramedic and calls this opportunity as a second life which very few are blessed with.
As per his Facebook page, a few posts dated back to September 201, said that Bobbitt not only provided "non-emergency transports" as a paramedic but also "provided advanced life support" ambulance transportation. It also showed some details of his relationship that went wrong in 2014 and how hard it was for Bobbitt to recover. With more than 12,000 people donating to Bobbitt to help him get back on his feet, a lot of people are wondering what he plans to do with the windfall. As per Bobbit, he is thinking long and hard about it.
We hope to find much more such happy and giving souls on our planet who are there to help others. They are our real martyrs.
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