97-year-old veteran surprised with Disneyland trip thanks to TikTok creator
A not-so-random act of kindness turned into an unforgettable trip for a 97-year-old veteran.
"I thought my life was just about over and then this Isaiah comes along," said William Goode.
"This Isaiah" was TikTok creator Isaiah Garza, who was once homeless. Five years ago, Garza was living on Skid Row but said TikTok changed his life. Now, with nearly 8 million followers on TikTok, Garza's page is filled with him helping complete strangers by surprising them with money, gifts and most recently a trip to Disneyland.
The surprise began as a simple advertisement on Craigslist with Garza simply saying he was "looking for a senior citizen" to film a "fun video project."
"I submitted two pictures of him with some shades on and another without and I got a response," Goode's caretaker Nelva Aguilar. "I didn't know who he was at all."
After talking with Aguilar, Garza told her to bring Goode to a local park but to tell him nothing about the surprise.
When Aguilar and Goode got to the park Garza walked up to the pair and offered to take the veteran to Disneyland.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but I've had a really, really rough day," Garza said during the surprise. "I just wanted to see if you'd be willing to go to Disneyland with me today."
Garza told Goode that he would pay for everything. The offer left Goode in shock but the 97-year-old responded simply with "You really want to take me?"
"You don't know how much I appreciate this," Goode said during the surprise.
The kind gesture garnered over one million views on TikTok.
"It was just so right," said Garza. "He's smiling. I was like 'Oh man this is perfect.'"
The trip to the happiest place on earth started a beautiful friendship between the two strangers.
"I am going to remember that for the rest of my life," said Goode.
Garza plans on starting a bucket list for Goode that the two will experience together.
