Acts of Kindness
80-year-old man lost on the road for 1 week meets couple at gas station that drive him 19+ hrs away
He trusted the young couple and his decision greatly impacted his life.
D.G. Sciortino
07.30.20

Most people will help someone in need if it doesn’t cause them to go out of their way or inconvenience them.

But there are still people who will help a stranger in need, even if it does mean being inconvenienced.

Then you have people like Elton Hood and his fiancé Tracy Eckhardt who would go way out of their way to help a stranger… more than 19+ hours out of their way.

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The couple came across an elderly man named Dennis and drove him about three hours so the man could follow the couple to his son’s house without getting lost again. Dennis was on his way to meet his son for the first time in 19 years.

They met Dennis, who is 80-years-old, at a truck stop in Illinois.

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They learned that the man had been driving for a week and was lost again.

Elton wasn’t about to let this poor man get lost again, so he wrote out specific directions for the man.

He even called Dennis’ son on the phone to give him an update on where dad was at.

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That’s when Elton noticed that Dennis had GPS.

So, Elton spent the next 20 minutes programming the GPS to take Dennis to his destination.

Before sending Dennis off, Elton gave the senior his phone number in case he needed anything or got lost again and made sure he had a full tank of gas.

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Dennis drove off but ended up calling Elton about 15 minutes later after he became confused. The couple then realized what they were going to have to do.

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They were going to have to take Dennis to his son’s house in Madison, Wisconsin themselves.

So, the couple told Dennis to pull over and turned around driving 40 minutes until they found him.

They called Dennis’ son and told him they were going to escort him to Wisconsin. They would drive and Dennis would follow closely behind.

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“Then we were off on an adventure with Dennis following carefully behind we stopped for lunch and listened to stories about his life and this trip,” Tracy wrote in a TikTok video. “Full bellies, bathroom breaks, and on the road again.”

@un_trace_ableOur trip home from Madison! ##lovehim ##update ##stillgoodintheworld ##dontletthisflop ##fyp ##foryoupage ##dogoodlikethehood ##moreupdatestocome @tracysman♬ Live Forever – Kane Brown

About three hours later they arrived.

“Enjoy your visit with your son, Dennis it was wonderful to meet you,” the video said at its end.

@un_trace_ableThose fly over states. 🌞☁️🌗##drivingmrdennis ##sunrise ##sunset ##clouds ##beautifulsky ##beautifulskies ##dogoodlikethehoods ##fyp ##foryoupage @tracysman♬ Fly Over States – Jason Aldean

More than 3.9 million people ended up watching that TikTok video.

“I’ve had some people say I’ve had a really bad day or a really bad week, or it’s been a really bad year, and this is what I needed to see, this gives me hope and it’s a light in the darkness,” Elton, a Marine veteran, told Channel 3000.

@un_trace_able##duet with @un_trace_able ##update ##stillgoodintheworld ##dontletthisflop ##fyp ##foryoupage ##armyvet ##marineveteran ##bethelight @tracysman♬ If The World Was Ending – JP Saxe ft. Julia Michaels

“There’s been so much negativity especially in the recent months, that I think it’s just that one little ray of hope.”

But their story doesn’t end there.

Dennis’ son wasn’t able to drive Dennis back home so they agreed to meet Dennis at the truck stop where they met and drive him out to Arizona, which is more than 19 hours away.

@un_trace_ableUPDATE!! 19 hours from AZ. ##drivingmrdennis ##dogoodlikethehoods ##armyvet ##marineveteran ##roadtrip ##fyp ##foryoupage ##dogood ##bethelight ##arewethereyet♬ On the Road Again – Live – Willie Nelson

“Once I found that out, I called Tracy and said, ‘well we should probably start packing bags,’” Elton said. “We really decided we needed to stay in touch and see this through from beginning to end.”

They’re asking anyone with connections for rental cars or airline tickets to reach out so they can help get Dennis home. Others asked how they can help and the couple is asking that any donations be made via Venmo at Marine0317 to fund their ride to Arizona. Any leftover fund will be donated to a veteran’s organizations.

Watch their original video below.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

@un_trace_ableI got a good one….his ❤️ amazes me. ##fyp ##foryoupage ##stillgoodintheworld ##elderly ##elderlylove ##armyvet ##dontletthisflop ##bethelight ##marinevet♬ If The World Was Ending – JP Saxe ft. Julia Michaels

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