More than $100K raised for man who walks nearly 21 miles to work

A Detroit man who walks about 21 miles to get to and from work is getting some help. James Robertson's car broke down about 10 years ago and bus service his limited, so most of his trip to work is on foot. But that commute may be ending soon after an online effort has raised more than $100,000 so far to get him off his feet, reports CBS News correspondent Vinita Nair.

Just days ago, the Detroit Free Press shined the spotlight on the 56-year-old.

"When you're used to something, you go through it and you think there's brighter days ahead for you," Robertson said.

He said his commute is physically and mentally grueling.

"You have to really gear yourself up to do it," he said.

Buses don't cover his entire 23-mile route to work, so Robertson's forced to fill in the gaps.

He walks about 21 miles a day and has been doing it five days a week since his car quit in 2005.

"I do it with no excuses," Robertson said.

In order to make his 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. shift, Robertson said he leaves his Detroit home at 8 a.m..

All told, he walks about eight miles to work and about 13 miles home.

"If you want something, you've gotta go out and get it," Robertson said.

A Motor City native, Robertson said he gets home at 4 o'clock a.m. and gets only two hours of sleep before he starts all over again.

"You better go ahead and do it because your girlfriend don't want to hear it, your coworkers don't want to hear it and you got to get up and do it again the next day," Robertson said.

He works as an injection molder at a factory in suburban Detroit and he hasn't missed a day of work in 12 years.

"To me, the attendance is just half the battle. How I do the job? That's when the real battle is won," Robertson said.

His story of perseverance inspired Evan Leedy, of suburban Detroit, to get involved.

"I didn't think anyone was going to donate," Leedy said.

Leedy, a junior at Wayne State University, set up a GoFundMe page with a small goal in mind.

"I started thinking in my head, maybe if someone even donates $500 -- that's $500 in bus fares," Leedy said.

The two men met for the first time on Monday at a restaurant in downtown Detroit.

Later, Leedy read Robertson some of the comments left by strangers on the GoFundMe page.

"One person said 'So happy to see how many people supported this cause - this is amazing, best luck to james,'" Leedy said.

Of the six figures raised, most have come in small amounts.

"Most of the donations have been $20 to $25," Leedy said. "I've had a lot of people comment, 'This is all I have, I wish I could give more.'"

While Robertson said faith has kept him going, the kindness of strangers, and his deep connection to Detroit have now lifted him up.

"This is Detroit. We're the comeback city. Forget Los Angeles. Detroit is the real city of angels," he said.

Just like any other day, Robertson will be at work in the afternoon. He still needs to research vehicles and insurance and said he's going to "take it slow" and emphasized that he's just a "regular worker."