A heartwarming tale continues as a grandmother and a stranger she mistakenly invited for Thanksgiving dinner share news from 2024.
Back in 2016, Wanda Dench, who was 65 years old at the time, accidentally sent a Thanksgiving dinner invitation to the wrong phone number. She thought she was inviting her grandson.
Instead, her text ended up with Jamal Hinton, then a 17-year-old young man. Rather than ignoring the message, Jamal lightheartedly responded, “You’re not my grandma,” and playfully asked if he could still join for Thanksgiving dinner.
The grandmother warmly replied, “Of course, you can. That’s what grandmas do… feed everyone.” This simple exchange sparked a lovely friendship that has lasted for nine fulfilling years.
Sadly, this year brought unexpected news. Wanda Dench shared online that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Some months earlier, she had been treated for bronchitis. During a routine CT scan aimed at checking her lungs, they discovered a mass in her breast, leading to further tests which confirmed a breast cancer diagnosis.
Wanda addressed her situation on social media, explaining, “A mass in my breast was detected, and after a mammogram, it was confirmed I had breast cancer.” She underwent chemotherapy treatment. Despite the treatments, Wanda wasn’t feeling up to traveling the two-hour distance to Jamal’s home this Thanksgiving.
“We will FaceTime each other. I’m so looking forward to meeting his family and having turkey with everyone, but I need to focus on my health this year,” Wanda shared in an interview with The Mirror. “I’m sure next year will be better.”
The story of Wanda and Jamal’s endearing friendship has touched hearts worldwide. In 2021, Netflix announced a film adaptation called “The Thanksgiving Text,” inspired by their unique bond. Both Wanda and Jamal hope, “It will encourage people to reach out and make new connections in unexpected ways. We feel blessed by this genuine friendship that began from a wrongly sent message.”
