Strangers raised $184,000 for the airport worker in pain

LaCinda Thackeray was waiting for a flight home to Utah at John Wayne Airport in Southern California on May 21 when she noticed a man on the tarmac. He was fueling aircraft and positioning airplane stairs, and every step looked painful. She recorded a short TikTok asking if anyone knew who he was. "I thought, if somebody knew who he was, could we get him retired?" she said. Within hours the video passed a million views. Internet sleuths identified him as James Blair, 64, a Navy veteran who has worked at the airport since 2006. Blair has serious knee problems and needs surgery, but most of his income goes toward his mother, who is in hospice. "My plan was to work until I can't work," he said. Thackeray started a GoFundMe. Nearly 6,000 donors gave more than $184,000. Blair has used part of it to buy himself a new bed.