Grandma Who Invited Wrong Teen To Thanksgiving Mourns Loss Of Husband To COVID-19

In 2016, the Arizona-based Wanda sent a text to a number she thought belonged to her grandson, inviting him to her home for Thanksgiving dinner.

However, the text actually ended up going to 17-year-old high school senior, Jamal Hinton, who shared their exchange on Twitter.

In fact, every year since then Hinton has been a face at the Dench's thanksgiving table, turning their funny text mix-up into an annual tradition.

Last year, the Dench couple actually joined Hinton at his girlfriend, Mikaela's and Aunt Tauna's house for dinner.

As the now-21-year-old told Good Morning America, "[Wanda] is a really good person. I really enjoy the time I spend with her."

"I am so sad to announce that Wanda and Lonnie both have COVID-19 and that Lonnie is currently in the hospital fighting both COVID and Pneumonia," he wrote.

In no time at all, the heartbreaking update went viral, racking up thousands of retweets and comments from fans who passed along well-wishes to the ailing couple.

“I know that Lonnie is really scared." he continued, appearing in the somber clip with his girlfriend, Mikaela. "But I told them both that they’re both strong and that they’re going to pull through with this. I just need your guys’ wishes and prayers to help them do it.”

He wrote, "As some of you may have already found out tonight Lonnie did not make it... he passed away Sunday morning."

Hinton also shared that prior to his death, all the love and support sent Lonnie's way "put a huge smile on his face."

"This is heartbreaking," one user wrote. "They shared so much love with us for so many years. RIP Lonnie and praying for the family and friends affected by his loss."

Another added, "This is sad. You never know why people come into your life. Be open. Learn to love from one another. Their experience is a great example to live by."

“He had the truest heart of love, like no other,” she told Arizona Family. “He did so many acts of kindness that no one ever heard about. He was my hero. And I’m a better person because of him.”

On March 10, he sent a text message explaining that he had been delivering water to the grocery stores at night, adding that reflecting on photos of past Thanksgiving dinners with Hinton and his own family was making him smile through these troubled times.

Just a few weeks later, he would test positive for COVID-19, and less than a month later, it would take his life.

He's also using his platform and fan base to try and encourage his state, which current has 3,018 confirmed coronavirus cases and 89 deaths, to take the pandemic more seriously.

"Arizona needs to handle this way better than it is," he wrote in a recent tweet. "As we see COVID-19 is no joke. Let’s do something."

h/t: Twitter | @kingjamal08, Arizona Family