Michigan Army veteran Ed Bambas, 88, started working again late in life out of necessity. But thanks to the kindness of strangers, he received a life-changing gift to allow him to retire a second time.

It was an emotional and surprising Friday afternoon for Bambas, who went viral after sharing his story. 

After 40 years with General Motors, Bambas chose a $300,000 lump sum payment but stopped receiving pension benefits. His wife later became sick and died, and the medical debt forced the veteran back to work. 

On Friday, social media influencer Sam Weidenhofer surprised Bambas with a $1.7 million check after thousands of people donated to a GoFundMe account.

"I'll probably work another month or two and then shut it down," Bambas said after receiving the check.

Bambas worked at Ace Hardware before he started working at Meijer in Brighton, Michigan, five years ago. A customer noticed Bambas, and his story was highlighted on social media by Weidenhofer.

Weidenhofer says he hopes Bambas's story creates a snowball effect.

"I hope it all just spreads awareness for all the other veterans and how they're treated, and the more support that we can show them in the country and around the world," he said.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify information about Bambas' GM pension and lump sum payment.