Don Johnson, 81, delivers lost airline luggage in Texas to help pay expenses for his wife, Josephine, who has pancreatic cancer. After Erin Howell shared his story and launched a fundraiser, donors gave $400,000, giving Johnson a chance to retire.
Johnson has delivered lost or delayed bags for about three years as an independent contractor, using his own car. He told NBC News he sometimes works 12 to 14 hours and drives 300 to 400 miles a day, returning luggage from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport; the fundraiser says his car has logged more than 200,000 miles and developed mechanical problems.
Howell launched the GoFundMe after helping Johnson at her home in The Colony near Dallas, aiming to get him off the road and back home with Josephine. She said the campaign would cover treatment, prescription medicines and living costs. Johnson told NBC News he had tried to find work at Amazon and Walmart before taking the delivery job, and that insurance did not cover all of Josephine’s care.
