MADISON, Wis. – A 79-year-old Arizona man, his cross-country journey and the Good Samaritans that he met along the way are going viral on TikTok.
Last Tuesday, Dennis Milentz left his hometown of Heber-Overgaard, Arizona, in hopes of seeing his son in Fremont, Wisconsin. Milentz said he had not seen his son in 18 years.
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In the roughly 1,660 mile journey, Milentz described not knowing how to operate his GPS and getting lost several times, ultimately adding an unwanted 200 miles to his trip.
“It was really hectic,” Milentz said. “I fought to keep conscious so that I wouldn’t get into an accident.”
Day three on the road, Milentz got lost again near Woodhull, Illinois. But there, at a gas station, he met locals Elton Hood and Tracy Eckhardt.
“It broke both of our hearts,” Eckhardt said. “To be lost at all is one thing but again, how tired is he? Has he eaten? Has he slept? Has he been taking care of himself?”
Eckhardt’s fiancé wrote directions on a piece of paper, shared his phone number and sent Milentz on his way.
Within 15 minutes, Eckhardt said she got a call from Milentz.
“Elton just looked at me and said, ‘Are you ready to go to Wisconsin?’ Of course, I said ‘yes’ because I couldn’t let him be lost.”