Every day Victor Hubbard would sit on the same street corner in Houston where his mum abandoned him - hoping she would come back.
She never did - but Texan mum Ginger Jones Sprouse noticed him sitting there and wanted to help him.
Ginger says she tried to get the police to assist him but because Victor wasn't breaking any law they wouldn't get involved.
Credit: Facebook/This is Victor
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She's told the Daily Mail: "It was frustrating to me because this was someone who obviously needed help."
After getting no help from the authorities she decided to set up a Facebook page to let others in the area know about his situation.
The page went viral and Ginger received hundreds of offers. Next step was putting up a GoFundMe initiative, which has since raised more than $26,000.
That money has gone into supporting Victor's healthcare as well as a hotel whenever Ginger was out of town.
But it was when Ginger decided to bring Victor into her home with her husband Dean that the homeless man's life changed.
Ginger and Victor. Credit: Facebook/This is Victor
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He now works with Ginger at her cookery school as well as at a burger restaurant.
Since being taken in, Victor has had his eyes tested, been to the dentist and also had a massive party where his Facebook supporters came.
Here's Victor and Ginger inviting everyone to the party:
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Ginger says his whole persona has changed as well. Posting to Facebook she says: "Tonight Victor laughed. I mean really laughed. The kind where you fall back on the couch kind of laugh. Where you have tears streaming down your face and you can't catch your breath. It wasn't really even that funny. But as he laughed I could almost see the tension leave his body, the years of stress and worry and the anxiety that was clinging to him slowly melting away. I wondered when was the last time he laughed that way?"
Stunningly, the Facebook page has led Victor to be reunited with his mum who left him homeless. But Mrs Sprouse says the meeting was short-lived: "He did get to see her and reassure her that he's OK and we just kind of left it at that."
Ginger says Victor probably won't be able to live by himself and is looking for any more contributions to her fundraising page.
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Which reminds me British woman who will marry a homeless man she found looking through her rubbish four decades ago.
Joan Neininger began leaving sandwiches in her rubbish bin after she noticed Ken near her shop in Gloucester.
She told the Guardian: "Although he was living on the streets, I knew straight away that Ken was a lovely man with a beautiful soul. The man haunted me like a spectre. The first time I saw him searching for food in a rubbish bin, it silently broke my heart."
Ken refused to take any money so Joan invited him into her house to have a meal with her husband Norman.
Credit: SWNS
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Unfortunately Norman wasn't initially too happy about the relationship and told his wife it was either him or Ken. But Joan wasn't having any of it and moved into a caravan, where Ken would come and visit.
But according to the pair their relationship was and has always been celibate.
Eventually Joan, Ken and Norman lived together harmoniously - with the two guys even becoming good mates.
Sadly Norman died and Ken had to be moved into a care facility - where Joan followed after her health declined.
Ken told the Guardian: "When I met Joan I was sleeping rough and wanted to kill myself. I probably would not be here now if it wasn't for her leaving those sandwiches in the bin. She's a really kind person."
And now they are about to get married.
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/This is VictorTopics: Texas, Inspiring, Homeless