25 January 2023 , 16:29
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A farmer spent his hard-earned money secretly subsidising his community's medical costs on a monthly basis - and kept it all under wraps until shortly before his death. Hody Childress would visit Geraldine Drugs in Geraldine, Alabama, every four weeks to drop off $100 (£80.82) to help those struggling to pay for their pharmacy bills.
But he ordered the pharmacist to keep it a secret because he didn't want anybody to know what he was doing - not even his family. The truth only came out shortly before his death on January 1 when the 80-year-old asked his daughter, Tania Nix, to make the donation on his behalf as he was too weak to visit the drug store himself.
Hody passed away at aged 80 on January 5
He helped many people live a little longerHis other loved ones - and those he helped throughout the years - learned about his donations at his funeral on January 5.
It is thought he donated around $12,000 (£9,697) over a 10 year period, starting his tradition in 2012.
But while Tania doesn't know what prompted her dad to start donating to the drug store, she suspects it's linked to her mum's struggle with multiple sclerosis in the 1990s.
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Her mum, Peggy, passed away in 1999 after spending a great deal of money on medications and other medical bills.
Tania said: "He told me he'd been carrying a $100 bill to the pharmacist in Geraldine on the first of each month, and he didn't want to know who she'd helped with it - he just wanted to bless people with it."
Tania says she was contacted by a woman who used her dad's donation to buy a much-needed EpiPen, while another woman burst into tears when the pharmacist told her there was a little pot of money put aside to help those struggling to pay for the medication they needed.
Pharmacist Brooke Walker said Hody asked her not to "tell a soul where the money came from" when he handed over his first donation, saying: "If they ask, just tell them it's a blessing from the lord.'
When speaking to WVTM, she said: "Each and every month, year after year, he would walk into the drug store and hand me $100.
"I kept my word of not telling anyone, even the family. Eventually, I did start taking a little money here, a little money there, just to help people who were struggling."
Brooke made sure to use his donations on antibiotics and life-sustaining medication rather than painkillers, saying she is sure he helped many people live a little longer.
While Hody was not a 'wealthy man', he managed to save enough money to support himself, his family and those in his community after working in the Air Force, attaining the rank of Airman Third Class, and as a product manager for Lockheed Martin in Huntsville before retirement.
Tania says he had a passion for farming and described his time on his tractor as "his therapy."
She added: "He spent a lot of time helping neighbours get their gardens planted. Every time he went to the post office, he'd take the postmaster an apple, or some sweet potatoes, squash or okra he'd grown on his farm."
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