• Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2026 ABC News
  • News

Elderly Man Called 911 for Food Because He Couldn't Move

1:25
WTVD
Cancer Patient's Heartbreaking 911 Call: 'I Need Something to Eat'
WTVD
BySYDNEY LUPKIN
May 13, 2015, 3:35 PM

— -- An elderly man who'd just returned home after months in the hospital said he was hungry, had no food and no one to turn to for help. So he dialed 911.

"I can't do anything. I can't go anywhere. I can't get out of my damn chair." Clarence Blackmon, 81, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, told the 911 operator, according to ABC station WTVD in Durham.

"I said, 'I'm not broken, I'm not bleeding, and I'm not in crisis. I just want somebody to help me buy some food,'" he told ABC News.

What the 911 operator did next will melt your heart.

"He was hungry," 911 operator Marilyn Hinson told WTVD. "I've been hungry. A lot of people can't say that, but I can, and I can't stand for anyone to be hungry."

An hour and a half later, Hinson showed up at Blackmon's door, carrying a box of groceries, Blackmon told ABC News. She had all his favorites: a head of cabbage, green beans, pickled beets and Pepsi. And then she stayed and made him a few ham sandwiches.

Related Articles

Woman Who Didn’t Know She Was Pregnant Gives Birth on Flight

Related Articles

Mom Catches 2-Year-Old’s Eye Cancer by Snapping Photo

Related Articles

FDA Takes Steps to End Lifetime Ban on Gay Male Blood Donors

"I was overwhelmed," Blackmon said.

Blackmon had a stroke about a year and a half ago and said 911 operators saved his life, he said. He spent the past six months in a rehabilitation facility. He told WTVD he's also battling cancer.

Hinson gave him her number and told him to call if he needs anything.

"She is such a delightful lady," Blackmon said. "It's amazing. Us little people need a helping hand every once in a while. Most of the time, we get overlooked. We're still here."

Up Next in News—

This San Francisco shop is run completely by an AI agent

April 23, 2026

Mother charged after teen son allegedly hits and injures 81-year-old veteran while riding e-motorcycle

April 23, 2026

UK bill banning smoking products for those born after 2008 is one step away from becoming law

April 22, 2026

Pilot killed in Florida plane crash hailed as hero

April 21, 2026

Shop GMA Favorites

ABC will receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Sponsored Content by Taboola

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • Shop FAQs
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2026 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2026 ABC News