When 29-year-old Estrella Quiroz left her house in Miami to grab lunch in June, she had no idea she’d return with a new best friend, and a whole lot of internet love.
“I’m driving and I saw this really old lady, like, walking across the street,” Quiroz says in a video she later posted to Instagram and TikTok. “She was so slow and she had a little walker. I looped back around to see if I can find her.”
That lady turned out to be Lilian, a 97-year-old retiree with a warm smile and a spirit as resilient as ever.
After spotting her at a bus stop, Quiroz gently approached and offered her a ride. Lilian, understandably cautious, eventually accepted. The first thing she asked was why Quiroz would help a stranger for free. Quiroz’s answer? “You remind me of my abuelita.”
The two clicked instantly. As they chatted in the car, they discovered a sweet coincidence: Lilian was born in León, Nicaragua, the same town as Quiroz’s father.
Quiroz invited Lilian to lunch at Wendy’s, and while sharing a meal outside her home, Lilian opened up. She used to be an accountant, she said, but now lives alone on government assistance.
“I’m so grateful for our friendship,” Lilian said in Spanish. “May God bless us and make us friends.”
And that wish came true, fast.
Their story has since been viewed by millions online. The original video racked up nearly 2 million views on Instagram and hundreds of thousands more on TikTok. The comments came flooding in, including praise from stars like Lauren Jauregui and Rosie O’Donnell, who simply called it, “Beautiful.”
@estrellaq95 @Wendy’s can you hook my new 97 year old bestie with Wendy’s for the rest of her life?! She’s on a budget 😭❤️ This was so serendipitous, I was on my way to pick up lunch when I saw her crossing the street! I was shocked because it was so hot outside. I turned around and found her waiting for the bus to go run errands so I offered a ride! She was also born in the same city my dad was born! We were meant to meet. ❤️ Please talk to the elderly when you’re able to. Many are alone / have limited resources. #wendys #elderly #seniors #bffs #miami #fyp #grandma #abuelita #grandmasoftiktok ♬ Los Caminos De La Vida – La Tropa Vallenata
“I’m crying!!! Omg to be in this world alone at 97, we need more kindness in this world bruuhhh,” wrote one TikTok user.
Another added on Instagram, “God bless you! ❤️🙌 we can decrease loneliness with small acts of kindness ❤️🩹 que Lindas 🌹😊🕊️.”
The new friends have since reunited for another lunch, this time, traditional Nicaraguan food from local favorite Rakachaka Grill Y Mas. Over carne asada, cayo pinto, fried cheese and sweet plantains, Quiroz delivered more good news: a GoFundMe launched in Lilian’s honor had already raised over $21,000.
Lilian was deeply touched. And so was Wendy’s, which sent her a $100 gift card to keep the lunch tradition going.
“I know that I was a stranger approaching her … I’m really glad that she could trust me in that moment,” Quiroz told TODAY.com. “It was very sincere.”
Kindness, Quiroz believes, doesn’t require money, just presence.
“I actually was inspired by these small acts of kindness by my own uncle,” she said. “He’s very poor in Nicaragua, but I was with him one day, and I noticed that he stopped and started talking to a homeless person for 10 minutes and literally gave him nothing, no food, no nothing.”
@estrellaq95 Replying to @Katie Part 2 of my 97 year old new bestie! 🥹 y’all raised TRIPLE our goal amount in one day! Per everyone’s advice, I will help pay her support directly so it doesn’t negatively affect her (and she can get the necessities she needs) Thank you to the friends and kind strangers who are going to help me turn her life around in the next few weeks by sorting her caregiver situation, house cleanings, and rent! I will keep y’all updated and introduce them to you! It’s always been my dream to do something like this and you are all helping me live this. Thank you!!! I am traveling the next couple of weeks for work (on a mission to help millions through my startup @lastfarewellsapp so I can do more of this), but have friends checking in on her while I’m gone! Bless EVERYONE!!! #abuelitas #seniorcare #gratitude #besties #fyp #seniors #bffs #miami #gofundme ♬ Los Caminos de la Vida – Instrumental – Aramis cadena & Victor Cadena
But that short conversation shifted the man’s entire energy.
“I think sometimes it’s so easy to see people as almost not human … life is already so hard for them,” she said. “So, sometimes we don’t even need to buy anything. Words can be so powerful in itself.”
Quiroz, who co-founded Last Farewells, an app that helps people leave messages for loved ones, knows the value of connection.
“It just takes one moment,” she said. One moment… to change a life.
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