GoFundMe has removed a viral fundraiser created for an 81-year-old Texas man who was reportedly working to support his wife’s cancer treatment.
The platform has now confirmed that it found “factual misrepresentations” in the campaign and has since removed it.
The fundraiser gained attention after local resident Erin Howell shared the story of meeting Johnson while he delivered lost luggage to her home. The company added that maintaining transparency and protecting donors were its priorities. She later learned that Johnson had been working as an independent contractor delivering misplaced luggage for several years. Howell wrote that Johnson was someone who would not ask for help himself, which motivated her to create the fundraiser. The company did not identify the specific information it considered inaccurate. GoFundMe has not provided additional details beyond its statement.
The fundraiser for Donald Johnson of The Colony, Texas, had collected more than $280,000 before it was taken down. Howell said she saw the 81-year-old struggling while carrying heavy suitcases up a staircase. Because medical bills, treatments and prescription costs had placed financial pressure on the family, the campaign described that the couple had been married for 57 years and said Johnson continued working.
GoFundMe said all donors would receive refunds after its Trust & Safety team reviewed the campaign and determined it violated the platform’s rules. “Our Trust & Safety team identified factual misrepresentations, which directly violates our Terms of Service,” a GoFundMe spokesperson told The Independent . Johnson took the physically demanding job to help cover expenses related to his wife Josephine’s cancer treatment, according to Howell’s fundraiser description. “I think I’m going to be able to stop working, and that’s amazing,” Johnson said, according to Fox 4. Josephine Johnson also said the support from strangers brought them happiness. GoFundMe said its decision followed an internal review by its Trust & Safety team. “Ensuring GoFundMe is a safe and trusted place to give and receive help is our top priority,” the company said in a statement. The platform said donors were protected through its GoFundMe Giving Guarantee, which allows refunds when a fundraiser does not meet its standards.
The campaign aimed to help Johnson stop working and focus on caring for his wife. Before removal, it received widespread support online and collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors. In an interview with Dallas outlet Fox 4 before the fundraiser was removed, Johnson and his wife expressed gratitude toward people who contributed.
