A veteran who suffers from breathing difficulties could not hide his delight when he was surprised with a mobility scooter that will provide him with a greater quality of life.
As soon as Tim Serres, from Hastings, Minnesota, laid eyes on the vehicle, he immediately began to well up before he started sobbing uncontrollably.
The surprise was arranged by a fellow veteran, Kenny Jary, 80, and his crew, which includes Amanda Kline, from St. Paul, Minnesota.
Kenny and Amanda run two popular TikTok and Instagram pages, Patriotic Kenny, on which they share uplifting content to help inspire fellow veterans.
After a wholesome post of Amanda surprising Kenny with a scooter went viral, the pair decided to use their platform to help raise money for other veterans and gift them scooters.
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To date, the pair have raised more than $60,000 on GoFundMe alone, and have been able to gift 30 scooters to veterans.
Tim’s family contacted Amanda and Kenny, and he was chosen to receive a scooter because he suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which damages the lungs and means Tim constantly requires oxygen.
Kenny, Amanda and their crew asked Tim’s family to keep the surprise a secret, and they met in a Woodbury, Minnesota park on June 13 for the big reveal.
Speaking of the moment, Amanda said: “It was emotional for everyone to see this burly man become so vulnerable instantly.
“Tim requires oxygen 24/7 and has a difficult time getting around, so it was liberating to see him be able to get on his scooter and drive far ahead of the family, or with the family as he desired, and not need to rely on them to get around.
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“You could see the burden and the weight lifting off his shoulders.
“Many members of Tim’s family were also there for the surprise.
“We then informed Tim about who we are and our presence on TikTok and Instagram as Patriotic Kenny and how our mission is to give away scooters to veterans, free of red tape.
“Tim was kind of rough around the edges when we first met him, but suddenly he was sobbing like a baby and we all were.
“We explained the benefits of the scooter and Kenny shared his story with Tim.
“It was hard to even get him back – he zoomed away so far!”
