THE COLONY, Texas — An 81-year-old man who delivers lost luggage to homes has become the center of a fundraising saga that has shifted from a community outpouring to a platform investigation.
Donald Johnson, an independent contractor, was seen carrying heavy luggage up a steep flight of stairs at a residence in The Colony. Erin Howell, a resident, opened her door to help him and later started a GoFundMe campaign. Johnson told her he had been delivering luggage for the last three years to pay medical bills for his wife Josephine, his wife of 57 years, who is battling cancer.
Howell’s GoFundMe post said the sight broke her heart. She asked Johnson why he worked such a physically demanding job. He told her, “It’s the only job that will hire me.” The campaign said Johnson had put over 200,000 miles on his car delivering luggage, causing vehicle problems. Howell said all money would go toward Josephine’s medical bills and allow Johnson to retire to care for his wife.
As of Thursday morning, more than 5,300 people had made donations, raising more than $281,000. In an interview with FOX 4’s Lori Brown, Donald and Josephine Johnson expressed gratitude. Don said he thought he would be able to stop working, calling it amazing. Josephine said, “I can face it. I think that’s the big difference.” She added that some people had made comments and were praying for them, and it was a joyful feeling.
But the campaign later faced scrutiny. GoFundMe told Global News it identified factual misrepresentations and removed the fundraiser, which had raised over US$700,000. The platform said the campaign violated its Terms of Service, so all donors were refunded. GoFundMe said its Trust & Safety team took action to protect donors’ generosity and its ability to support people fundraising to help others.
GoFundMe also said it received a tip from a concerned community member about the organizer, leading to an investigation. During the investigation, GoFundMe called the organizer on a recorded line and told her the call was being recorded. When asked if Don and Josephine Johnson were her parents, the organizer confirmed they are, according to GoFundMe.
The original GoFundMe page was created by a woman named Erin Howell, according to the page, but GoFundMe found misrepresentations. After the fundraiser was pulled, Johnson’s daughter Amy revealed she had set up the fundraising campaign under a different name. Amy launched a new fundraiser on GiveSendGo, where she explained what happened. She wrote that Don is her dad and Josephine is her mom. She said her mom has pancreatic cancer, the bills are high, and her dad is 81 and still works delivering luggage so they can stay afloat.
Amy wrote that the neighbor story is real, the doorcam video is real, the diagnosis is real, and the job is real. She said many people already gave on GoFundMe and expressed gratitude. She explained the page was originally set up on her account because it was already established and they thought that would be the simplest way. When the name on the page was updated, GoFundMe treated it as a discrepancy, she wrote. They offered documentation, but the donations were refunded anyway. Amy said, “We know that is frustrating. It is frustrating for us too. Nobody wanted your gift sent back.” She added, “Nothing about my mom’s treatment changed. Nothing about my dad’s age or his work changed. They still need help.”
The GiveSendGo fundraiser had raised more than $55,000 of its $100,000 goal from more than 1,000 donations as of Monday afternoon, according to Global News.
