There are some stories that go viral and they touch our hearts more than we realize. It seems that is what happened in 2016 when a grandmother sent a text message to the wrong person and invited them to Thanksgiving dinner. Since that time, Wanda Dench has celebrated Thanksgiving every year with Jamal Hinton, the young man who benefited from that “wrong number.” This year is different because they are teaming up to honor Wanda’s late husband, Lonnie. Unfortunately, he died from COVID-19.
It all started when Wanda sent a text message four years ago thinking that she was inviting her grandchild to Thanksgiving. Rather than going to her grandchild, the text went to Jamaal. He asked if he could still come to Thanksgiving, even though the invite wasn’t for him. She replied: “Of course you can. That’s what grandma’s do…feed every one.”
how it started how it’s going pic.twitter.com/qQkWqNWMzs
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) October 9, 2020
Wanda gave an interview with AZ Family earlier in the year and said that she had COVID-19 symptoms in late March, and her husband, Lonnie had them as well. She recovered but Lonnie’s condition went downhill and he passed away.
When Jamaal heard about the death, he sent a care package that included a video from Twitter fans sharing their condolences. Jamaal had posted a picture on Twitter in October that showed pictures of Wanda and her husband with him throughout the years. He wrote: “Thanksgiving isn’t going to be the same anymore but we will make the best of it.”
Wanda and Jamaal also said to AZ Family that they plan to celebrate Thanksgiving together and would keep a seat at the table for Lonnie. “I didn’t want to miss Thanksgiving with Jamal,” Wanda explained: “This year is definitely different than all the years in the past.”