A Cape Breton man in need of a double-lung transplant says he is breathing easier thanks to the generosity of CTV viewers.
CTV aired the story of 44-year-old D.J. Timmons last Thursday. Within an hour, donations for D.J.’s cause started pouring in.
“It makes me feel good,” said Timmons. “That they, there’s still a lot of good people out there.”
Before the story aired, Timmons' GoFundMe page was at about $800. As of Monday, nearly $12,000 had been donated by complete strangers.
“I was overwhelmed when I looked at the page,” said Edna Chiasson, Timmons' partner. “They know some of the story, that’s it, and they were still willing to give up money.”
“Oh, I’d just like to thank everybody that helped. I just want to thank everybody,” said Timmons.
The donations haven’t only been coming in online. A local garage has started a fundraising jar to donate to Timmons' cause and it is quickly adding up.
“Yes, there’s been actually a contribution of $2,500 come in on Friday,” said garage co-owner Leah Ingraham.
The family says they’ll need a total of $40,000, but the generosity of donations has made their spirits higher.
“It’s a big relief, knowing that I can go anyway, and have a start,” said Timmons.
“Thank you very much, from the bottom of our hearts. You’re going to make his wish come true,” said Chiasson.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ryan MacDonald
