A grandmother who mistakenly invited a stranger to her Thanksgiving feast has continued the tradition of meeting up with him for the ninth year.
The friendship between Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton began in 2016, when Wanda attempted to text her grandson to invite him to Thanksgiving dinner but inadvertently sent the message to Jamal, who was a total stranger at the time.
Once they realized the error, Jamal took a chance and asked if he could “still get a plate” despite the mix-up.
“Of course you can,” Wanda answered.
“That’s what grandma’s do… feed everyone.”
Wanda extended an invitation to Jamal the following year, and they have met up every year since, with this year marking their ninth Thanksgiving together.
However, this year, there’s a twist as Jamal will be hosting Wanda.
On Monday, he announced on social media: “Excited to announce that I’m hosting Thanksgiving this year for Wanda and I!
“Looking forward to a day filled with good food, great company, and lasting memories. Year 9 coming soon!”
Last month, Wanda revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer after a CT scan for her lung condition, bronchitis, led to the discovery.
Jamal shared Wanda’s news on his Instagram account.
Her message read: “Hi, my name is Wanda, you might know how we met in 2016 when I accidentally sent him a text inviting him to Thanksgiving when I thought I sent it to my grandson,” she began.
“It went viral and it changed our life for the better and we still plan on getting together for Thanksgiving next month as we have every year.
“But what I want to let you know today is this month is Breast Cancer awareness month.
“Earlier this year I came down with bronchitis and had a CT scan to check out my lungs.
“That’s when a mass in my breast was detected and they suggested I get a mammogram and that verified I had breast cancer. I am have been currently going through chemotherapy.
“Cancer does not run in my family and all the mammograms I had in the past were always negative. In 2022 I turned 65 years old and I thought I would have my last mammogram and not have to think about it again. But I was wrong.”
Wanda concluded by urging followers to “get [their] check-ups.”
Fans are eagerly anticipating Wanda and Jamal’s Thanksgiving plans this year, with one commenter saying, “I’m so happy to see the updates every year! Beautiful.”
Another added: “I am so happy you still spend thanksgiving with her!!! Ugh I love this story and I will watch the original video every time I can.”