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Grindr quarantine story is restoring some people’s faith in humanity

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A story about the support a man found via Grindr, while self-isolating himself, has prompted a huge amount of comment on social media.

The Facebook page and website, Humans of New York, is sharing #quarantinestories. One posted on Friday came from a Grindr user in Minnesota who is awaiting his test results for COVID-19.

“It started with a heavy chest,” he began. “Then I began to have a fever and dry cough. They’re doing car tests in Minnesota, but I didn’t have a car. So I ended up walking to the ER.

“They put me in isolation,” he continued. “I wasn’t even allowed to use the restroom so I had to pee in a bucket Then they tested me and sent me home. I’ve been waiting on the results for days.

“There hasn’t been much to do, so naturally I’ve been scrolling through Grindr. A couple days ago this older guy sent me a message. My profile name is ‘Bernie2020,’ so he says: ‘Hi Bernie.’ I explained that I’d just been tested. And he tells me that he’s a retired doctor.

“He starts asking about my symptoms. He wants to know if he can bring me anything since my family lives out of state. And this whole time he’s calling me ‘Bernie,’ but I don’t have the heart to correct him. I wanted to test to see if he was a real doctor, so I took a picture of my hand and asked him to identify my congenital birth defect.

“He nailed it in less time than he could possibly google it, so I figured he was legit,” he continued. “And who’s going to kidnap a person with coronavirus? So I gave him my address.

“The next day he shows up with a perfect little portion of salmon, asparagus, four pears, and some very expensive looking granola bars. We barely spoke. He seemed more nervous than I did. He just dropped it on the steps, walked quickly back to his car, and said: ‘Good luck, Bernie.’”

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Many praised the actions of the older man.

“At a time when, as a human race, we are challenged and brought to the edge by COVID-19, stories like this show us the best of humankind …they fill our hearts with hope,” said one commentator. “In some way…we all feel the touch and love of that doctor. He gave you…but after you sharing with us…it feels like he gave all of us. We are touched by his act That…is the best of the human family.”

“Whoever that person was, that was so kind of him to help you out,” said another. “Sending so many positive vibes his way. Especially since you said he’s a retired doctor so I assume he quite old. So he’s putting his health at risk to help a stranger out.”

Grindr also re-shared the story on its own Twitter profile, dubbing the good samaritan, “the daddy we all deserve.”

Related: Someone’s come up with a gender-neutral variation for ‘daddy’

At the time of writing, there were over 32,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US and over 400 deaths. Health experts are advising people to stay home, self-isolate, and quarantine themselves from others if they believe they may have the virus. For the latest advice on COVID-19, check the CDC and WHO websites.

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