Every once in a while, a story of two strangers turns into a shared connection that touches millions. This is one of them.
Sanai Graden is a 21-year-old college student living in Washington, D.C., who likes to vlog on TikTok while she does everyday things. As she was heading to the grocery store on a random day at the end of January 2024, she turned on her camera, and soon after, a man approached and asked her if she could help him get some hot tea.
Not money. Not even food. Just some simple, hot tea.
Graden told the man she was going to Trader Joe’s and he could go along with her and they could stop at Starbucks. As they walked and chatted, Graden learned the man was homeless , had no family and was suffering from prostate cancer. He has just gotten insurance, but it wouldn’t kick in for 45 days and he needed a prescription filled.
Over the next four to five hours, Graden got him some tea, helped him get his prescription filled so he could get some relief from his pain and put him up in a hotel room for the night. By the end of the day, she was calling him “Unc,” and he was calling her his “angel.”