Disabled dad’s heartwarming gift of coffee money to his daughter goes viral

A father whose disabilities have left him unable to work and earn a living still found a way to treat his daughter to coffee — and the touching gesture has now earned the attention of thousands on the internet. 

Morgan Porterfield from Katy, Texas, posted two pictures on Twitter this month, showing an old pill bottle filled with spare change.

Inside the container was a note that read: ‘$11.19 – 6/1/18 coffee money Love, Dad.’

Treat: A tweet by Morgan Porterfield from Katy, Texas, showing an old pill bottle full of spare change has gone viral

Sentimental: Her dad has been saving up to treat her to coffee, and inside the container was a note that read: '$11.19 – 6/1/18 coffee money Love, Dad'

Sentimental: Her dad has been saving up to treat her to coffee, and inside the container was a note that read: '$11.19 – 6/1/18 coffee money Love, Dad'

Sentimental: Her dad has been saving up to treat her to coffee, and inside the container was a note that read: ‘$11.19 – 6/1/18 coffee money Love, Dad’

Touching: Explaining why she was particularly touched by the kind gesture, Morgan (left) revealed in the accompanying caption that her dad Jim (right) has been unable to work

Touching: Explaining why she was particularly touched by the kind gesture, Morgan (left) revealed in the accompanying caption that her dad Jim (right) has been unable to work

Explaining why she was particularly touched by the kind gesture, Morgan captioned the shots with a story about her dad’s condition.

‘As some know my dad is mentally and physically handicapped and so especially now that he’s older he’s unable to work or earn an income but he’s been saving his pocket change for the past month for some reason and I thought nothing of it til I came home from work to this today,’ she wrote.

‘When I got home from work the night I found the change and sweet note in my room, I burst into tears,’ she revealed to Love What Matters.

Her dad Jim Porterfield was seriously injured by a drunk driver in 1981, and although he was told he would never walk again, he went on to become a father of four and provide for his family by working in an office job for more than 30 years.

‘He had 13 surgeries within the first year following the car accident, was in a coma for 6 weeks, and was not expected to live or wake up,’ Morgan explained.

Accident: Injured by a drunk driver in 1981, Jim has lived with several physical mental and physical disabilities for nearly 40 years

Accident: Injured by a drunk driver in 1981, Jim has lived with several physical mental and physical disabilities for nearly 40 years

Injuries: Jim was originally told he would never walk again, and while he suffers from seizures and limited mobility, he was able to go on to have four children and work in an office 

Injuries: Jim was originally told he would never walk again, and while he suffers from seizures and limited mobility, he was able to go on to have four children and work in an office 

‘He had to have his nose reconstructed and suffered a lacerated forehead with frontal lobe injury, a subdural hematoma, and had to have a bolt put in to relieve pressure around his brain,’ she added.

As the fluid around his brain never fully went away, Jim developed seizures and short-term memory loss, and his right elbow was shattered and fused permanently in place so he is unable to brush his hair, teeth or eat with that hand.

The bones in his feet were also shattered and frequent falls throughout his life have resulted in concussions. 

‘The bond I have with my dad has grown even stronger over the last few years. Especially as I get closer to leaving for college, I have realized the extent his influence has had on my life,’ Morgan explained.

And she also said that she and her dad now share a love of coffee after she started working in part-time in a coffee shop.

Bond: Morgan also said that her bond with her dad has got even closer, as they now have a shared love to coffee as she works at a coffee-shop part-time

Bond: Morgan also said that her bond with her dad has got even closer, as they now have a shared love to coffee as she works at a coffee-shop part-time

Helping hand: Inspired by the success of the tweet, the family have now set up a GoFundMe page for their dad to help pay medical costs

Helping hand: Inspired by the success of the tweet, the family have now set up a GoFundMe page for their dad to help pay medical costs

‘There was never a day in my life that I did not see my dad with a cup, or an insulated 7-11 Big Gulp, of coffee in his hand. It might have had something to do with the fact that he woke up by 5am every day so that family/friends/coworkers could pick him up to take him to work.’

Inspired by the success of her tweet, which has since received over 48,000 retweets and 266,000 likes, Morgan and her sister Krista have now set up a GoFundMe page for their dad, after they found out he would not be eligible for Medicare until 2020 despite his disabilities.

‘We have finally been able to secure disability income for him, but unfortunately, this has made him ineligible for Medicaid. Due to all his medical conditions, his bills have always been quite staggering,’ Krista Erbe wrote on the fundraising website.

And the family was able to reach their goal of $5,000 to help with Jim’s medical bills in just one day and it has now over $7,100 banked since it started on June 3.

 



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