Reaching 100 years old is certainly a cause for celebration with family and friends but one woman was also surprised by her trash collector who wanted to honor this special lady on her big day.
The friendship between garbage collector Ben Bird and his 100-year-old customer Dorothy Ballard went viral when it first hit the headlines in 2019.
Ben always makes a point of stopping to chat to Dorothy, who is known as Mercy, when he collects her trash every week at her home in Kidderminster, England, – something he’s been doing for the past decade.
“He talks about the family, he tells me about his little kids,” the 100-year-old said of the father-of-two.
“Then one day, when his wife had the baby – little girl – he said to me, ‘We’re going to call her Daisy’. And I said, ‘Oh how wonderful, do you know that was my mother’s name?’”
Ben said their friendship started with Mercy opening her door and thanking him.
“She makes me laugh every week,” he added.
Their bond has touched the hearts of millions after Ben and his colleagues visited Mercy with a special surprise to mark her 100th birthday.
The big-hearted bin man had promised his favorite customer: “Live to be 100 and I’ll bring you a cake for your big birthday.”
So when Mercy received her telegram from the Queen, as all UK residents do when they reach 100 years old, Ben showed up with a cake and candles to mark her special day.
A video of him walking up to her front door shielding the candles and then singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Mercy went viral.
Ben calls out to the great grandmother before singing ‘Happy Birthday to you’ along with two colleagues and then asks her to make a wish before blowing out her candles.
Thousands have commented on the video saying they hope their friendship continues.
“Restores your faith in humanity,” one person tweeted.
“Lovely story, may your friendship continue for years to come Mercy and Ben,” wrote another.