Beloved Internet Grandma Tests Positive For COVID-19 And Unexpectedly Unites Twitter
Four years ago the Internet met a new sensation when a grandmother accidentally texted a wrong number, inviting a complete stranger to her home for Thanksgiving. Grandma Wanda Dench sent the fate-filled text to then teenager, Jamal Hinton, believing the number belonged to her grandson.
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Confused, Jamal asked for a selfie and Wanda sent one, to which he responded, "you not my grandma!... can I still get a plate though?" Indeed, he did get a plate and more incredibly a friendship.
So far, their friendship has stood the test of time. This last year we were delighted to share the news that Wanda and Jamal shared their 4th Thanksgiving together, a humorous and wholesome tradition that only kind hearted folks like Wanda could initiate.
Sadly, the news Jamal shared this time to Twitter was less delightful.
Jamal has said that Wanda and her husband Lonnie have treated him like their own grandson since that first Thanksgiving in 2016.
Sharing the news of this beloved Internet family was hard.
While the good news is that Wanda is currently in stable condition, Lonnie required care at the hospital.
In 2016, a simple text changed the lives of so many people... for the better!
A silly mistake turned into a beautiful friendship.
A friendship between good people.
"Of course you can..."
Wanda's heart has always been in the right place.
When Jamal originally shared his story to Twitter, people seriously loved it.
The story went viral and stayed viral.
2016:
It could have been so easy for that one dinner to be the end of it, but Wanda extended the invitation intentionally in subsequent years.
2017:
Four years in a row, Jamal was invited to Wanda's Thanksgiving celebrations.
2018:
Last year, Jamal reflected on the impact of acts of kindness:
He said:
“The world is becoming a better place than it used to be. With all the Donald Trump going on and all the racial comments going on, it’s kind of good to see there’s still good people out there".
2019: