A decade after a wrong-number text turned into a heartwarming friendship, Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench have shared an update following a difficult couple of years.
How they met
In 2016, high schooler Jamal Hinton received a text he believed was from his own grandmother, inviting him to Thanksgiving dinner. After asking for a selfie, he realised the message had actually come from Wanda Dench, a complete stranger whose grandson had previously owned Hinton's new phone number. Rather than clarifying the mix-up, Hinton cheekily asked if he could still get a plate, and Dench agreed to host him anyway, telling Today.com: "Of course. That's what grandmas do. They feed everyone." The exchange went viral after Hinton shared it online, and the pair went on to meet in person the following day with the help of Dench's real grandsons.
A decade of friendship
Since that first meeting, Hinton and Dench have remained close friends, spending almost every Thanksgiving together in the years since. Their story has resurfaced online annually, and the pair have supported each other through major life events, including Hinton's college graduation and Dench's loss of her husband, Lonnie, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A pause in their tradition
In 2024, the pair had to break from their usual in-person gathering after Dench was diagnosed with breast cancer while being treated for bronchitis. Chemotherapy left her immunocompromised and unable to socialise safely, so the two instead kept the tradition alive by connecting over Instagram Live on the day.
Good news
A year on, the pair have shared uplifting news: Dench is now cancer-free. Both families have since been able to resume their annual Thanksgiving gathering together.
