GoFundMe has shut down a fundraiser for 81-year-old Don Johnson, from Dallas, Texas, after finding it violated the platform's terms of service, despite the campaign having raised over $281,000.
How the fundraiser started
Johnson went viral after doorbell footage showed him carrying two heavy pieces of luggage up a flight of stairs, part of his job as a contractor returning lost luggage to customers, work he's done for three years to help cover his wife Josephine's cancer treatment. The couple have been married for 57 years. Erin Howell, who witnessed Johnson struggling with her own lost luggage, set up the fundraiser after learning more about his circumstances, describing him at the time as looking "absolutely exhausted," writing: "The other day, I looked out my door cam and saw an 81-year-old man slowly and painstakingly carrying my heavy luggage that had been lost on a recent flight up a steep flight of stairs. He looked absolutely exhausted, and his steps were heavy with effort."
Why the fundraiser was removed
A GoFundMe spokesperson told Fox 4: "Ensuring GoFundMe is a safe and trusted place to give and receive help is our top priority. After further review by our Trust & Safety team, the organizer account and fundraiser have been found to be in violation of our Terms of Service, and the fundraiser removed and refunded." Johnson's daughter, Amy, later explained on TikTok that the issue reportedly stemmed from the account's name being updated after the fundraiser was originally set up under her own name for convenience, saying GoFundMe didn't allow them to submit documentation before removing it. She said the fundraiser had reached around $700,000 in pledged donations before being taken down.
The family's response
Speaking to Fox 4, Amy became emotional discussing the situation, saying: "The account was originally mine so we thought it would be easier if we just used it. They didn't allow us to provide any documentation. They just basically said that they were refunding everything. Everything on that page is 100 percent true. My mother is suffering from pancreatic cancer and my dad is delivering luggage to help. It's absolutely devastating right now because we had so much hope and we were able to take care of the medical bills and everything, so to lose it is just really hard."
Where things stand now
Before the fundraiser was taken down, Don had spoken about his hopes it would allow him to stop working, telling Fox 4: "I think I'm going to be able to stop working, and that's amazing. So we're not quite totally over the hump yet, but we're getting there very quickly." Josephine added: "I can face it. I think that's the big difference. Some have made comments and they're praying for us. And it's just, it's a joyful feeling." More than 5,300 people had donated before the page was removed. A new fundraiser has since been launched on GiveSendGo, which has raised over $45,000 so far.
