An Uber driver picks up his last passenger for the day when he realizes it's his long-lost friend. Their unexpected reunion puts the biggest smile on his face.
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| Image credits: danny.b106 |
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| Image credits: danny.b106 |
Based in Texas, Danny Blanton, 51, spends all his day performing the usual, driving people around and ensuring they reach their destination. But things took a different turn just before he made up his mind to quit his job and head home.
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On his last batch, a passenger named John Johnson, 60, got into his backseat when he realized there was something familiar about this Uber driver. So he went on to ask the driver his name and said, "I think I know you. You don't know me?"
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| Image credits: danny.b106 |
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| Image credits: danny.b106 |
It took Danny a few moments to realize that the man in the backseat was his long-lost friend. He immediately stopped the car and greeted his friend with the biggest smile.
Danny and John met each other in the late 1990s. Both of them worked together at a nightclub for 20 years before splitting up when their career paths hit crossroads.
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After this encounter, the two friends exchanged their phone numbers and began talking just like in the old times.
Danny's encounter with John wasn't coincidental, just as it wasn’t for Bill, 71, and his Uber driver.
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| Image credits: Facebook/Bill Sumiel |
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| Image credits: Facebook/Bill Sumiel |
On Oct. 30, 2021, Bill Sumiel, 71, was picked up by an Uber driver, Tim, 33, from a dialysis centre in Newark, Delaware. Bill got into the passenger seat as they quickly struck up a 30-minute conversation.
While driving back to Bill's home, Tim found out that Bill had been in desperate need of a kidney transplant for more than three years. While Bill was explaining his dilemma and about halfway home, Tim told him, "I think God must have put you in my car."
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Bill looked at him with confusion when Tim offered to donate one of his kidneys to him.
“[He said] If you’ll take my name and number, I’ll give a kidney to you. I was shaking so hard I couldn’t even write down his name and number," recalls Bill.
However, there was one more thing left to do before it was confirmed that Tim would be able to donate his kidney to Bill. They had to ensure that Tim qualified for the donation by testing whether his blood and tissue typing were compatible. So both Bill and the Uber driver went for testing, where it was confirmed that he was a match.
For Tim, he was inspired to donate his kidney because he found Bill to be a genuine man. "I didn't want to look in the mirror later down the road and think, ‘Wow man, you suck. You could have done something and you didn't because you talked yourself out of it or because you let other people talk you out of it,’" he revealed in an interview.
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Tim, who is also a U.S. Army veteran, wanted to stand by good people, and meeting Bill was when he realized that Bill was a good person.
Meanwhile, for Bill, the surgery was successful and his body accepted Tim's kidney. Two years since meeting Tim, he's able to live and enjoy a normal life.
"I know miracles have happened in the past. Maybe they never happened to me, maybe they have. But now I really have those beliefs reinforced," says Bill.
Tim has now moved to Germany, but the duo say they will be friends for the rest of their lives.
These moments show us that ordinary people, like Uber and Amazon drivers, often carry out extraordinary acts of kindness. Just like this woman who was touched by this amazon delivery driver fixing her broken doorbell and gets caught on ring camera.
And if you’re looking for more comfort, you might like these 25 feel-good thoughts to lift your mood. Or even better, funny relatable jokes that’ll certainly make you laugh.
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