This elderly woman just received the sweetest surprise from her favorite garbage collector turned friend for her 100th birthday.
In a clip that has been going around the internet for the past few days and melting people’s hearts, garbage man Ben Bird is seen walking up a garden path with a pink and white birthday cake in hand.
The cake was for his good friend, Dorothy Ballard – also known as Mercy to family and friends – who turned a hundred years old that day!
Ben had been collecting Mercy’s garbage for eight years, and through his weekly visits, the two came to develop an unlikely friendship.
They chat every Thursdays for roughly 10 minutes – from 8:00 am to 8:10 am – which is the time of Ben’s visits. Through these brief conversations, the pair were able to talk about everything, from family to technology.
Ben made a promise to Mercy that if she reached a hundred years old, he would show up at her doorstep with a birthday cake. Mercy kept her end of the bargain, so Ben recruited two of his buddies to surprise Mercy and celebrate this milestone with her.
In a video that has been going around online since Katy Smith – Mercy’s second-oldest granddaughter – posted it, Ben can be seen walking up her garden path and waiting by the door with a cake.
When she finally opened the door, the men started singing her a happy birthday, and Mercy can be seen burying her face in her hand – she was clearly touched and surprised!
Mercy then blew out her candles and Ben told her to make a wish, suggesting that it be living to be 105.
Mercy’s granddaughter is thankful to friends and neighbors like Ben who took time out of his busy day to make her grandmother feel special.
“So I messaged him to thank him that he made her day,” Katy told ITV News. “We all feel very blessed to have her, she has a great sense of humour and is loved by so many. We treasure every moment.”
Watch the video below to see the heartwarming moment when Mercy received her birthday cake from her friend.
Mercy and Ben are friendship goals! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/khZjUCh60G
— This Morning (@thismorning) August 13, 2019
What a beautiful gesture! A friendship like Mercy’s and Ben’s is surely something that anyone would aspire to have.
Don’t forget to share this sweet story with your friends and family.