Three men travel to grant dying man's wish to receive Christmas cards
Markeith Powell, Marqwain Givhan and Earl Minley decided to bring joy to Gene Weittenhiller, a stranger who is dying of cancer.
PRAIRIE DU SAC, Wis. - All Gene Weittenhiller wanted for Christmas were Christmas cards, but he got much more than that: three new friends.
The Wisconsin man is suffering from terminal cancer. He stopped undergoing chemotherapy treatment in August. Realizing this might be his last Christmas, Weittenhiller has requested that the public send him holiday cards to read and enjoy.
Markeith Powell, Marqwain Givhan and Earl Minley, three young men from Milwaukee who didn't know Weittenhiller, saw his story and wanted to help.
With cards in hand, Minley tells FOX 35 that the three of them drove over two hours to personally deliver some holiday cheer to Weittenhiller's door.
(Earl Minley)
"Once we introduced ourselves and told him why we were there he was just like 'that is so beautiful,'" Minley said. "He cried and he cried. I got emotional, we all got emotional. Words can't even explain it. We were speechless. It was priceless."
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Minley said he felt good being able to put a smile on Weittenhiller's face when he's going through such a hard time.
"Words cannot explain. The way he looked at us, the way he hugged us. The hug he gave us had so much emotion. You could feel it. It was just amazing."
The four men hugged and prayed before Minley, Givhan and Powell headed out.
While they left Weittenhiller with an uplifted spirit, Minley says that won't be their last visit. They are all going back this weekend with more presents for their new friend, Gene.
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If you would like to send a Christmas card to Gene, you can mail it to:
Gene Weittenhiller
410 20th St.
Prairie du Sac, WI 53578