Anonymous Donor Rescues 100-Year-Old WWII Veteran Stranded Far From Home
October 1, 2025
Bill Shea, a 100-year-old World War II veteran from Harrow, Ontario, was greeted with cheers, waves, and warm smiles as an ambulance pulled up to Harrow Legion Branch 338.
Friends, family, and legion members had gathered to welcome back the man they hadn’t seen in over a month.
Bill Shea (center) / CTV News
Just weeks earlier, Shea’s family feared he might never make it back. After falling ill from an Alaskan cruise in August, he was hospitalized with a bladder infection, pneumonia, and kidney issues. His care required a specialized medical flight costing nearly $60,000 — a cost that Veterans Affairs declined to cover.
After seeing his story on the news, an anonymous donor stepped forward and paid for the entire flight.
Shea arrived in Windsor Monday evening after a month in a B.C. hospital.
For members at his local legion branch, as one of the region’s last Second World War veterans, he’s been missed.
“To the person that donated the money, you’re an angel. We needed him back home. We missed him a lot,” said Branch 338 President Paul Chartier.
Stray Dog Becomes the Star of a Wrestling Match
A Guardian in the Light Fixture: Daughter Finds One Last Surprise Her Dad Left Behind
Grateful Man Celebrates His 60th Birthday With Pizza, Receives Thousands Of Birthday Wishes
Two Cats Sitting Under an Umbrella Have the Internet Asking One Very Important Question
The Best Sports Tradition Ever: The Hawkeye Wave
These Middle Schoolers Made a 5-Year-Old’s Birthday Unforgettable
Kittens Take A Field Trip To The Aquarium
Dad Tells His Children He Won The Nobel Prize In Medicine
She Broke Her Nose the Night Before Her Daughter’s Wedding
