10 years since ‘viral Thanksgiving text’ sparked unique friendship between two people
(CNN) - It’s been ten years since an accidental text led to a heartwarming Thanksgiving tradition.
In 2016, an Arizona grandmother texted a then-teenager who wasn’t her grandson and offered him Thanksgiving dinner.
It began a friendship that continues today.
You might be familiar with the story.
Wanda Dench texted Jamal Hinton in 2016, inviting him over to her Thanksgiving dinner.
Dench meant to text her grandson but doubled down on the invitation to Hinton.
He showed up at her house for a plate of turkey.
“It’s just amazing to have a friendship where, you know, age makes no difference whatsoever. So, um, I feel so blessed that he’s in my life. I know there’s no accidents, and it was serendipity, and I’m really joyful,” Dench said.
The two have gotten closer while celebrating Thanksgiving over the years, offering support to one another in times of need, like when Dench was diagnosed with breast cancer or when her husband died in 2020 from complications from COVID-19.
“It’s about each other’s support and being there for one another,” Hinton said. “I mean, Wanda’s been through a lot. I’ve been through a lot, and to stick together and talk about these things and kind of get through them together has just been a blessing of all sorts, so. Appreciate you, Wanda.”
“Me too,” Dench said.
And this year marked a decade of friendship, but the pair says they’re more like family.
“It was just so unlikely that two polar opposites that felt like they could come together and become such good friends and family members now. I’m most excited for Wanda to really meet my family. It’s been some years,” Hinton said.
“And I know from just the way Jamal is, I wanted to thank his parents for their wonderful upbringing of Jamal," Dench said.
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