In March 2016, Cesia (owner of Abi’s Cafe in Minneapolis) hired a homeless man asking for money. Soon after, she shared a photo on Facebook of him washing dishes. The post went viral, and the story became a sensation. Celebrities called, donations poured in, and everyone thought this was a story with a happy ending.

It wasn’t.

The man started to drink heavily. He got kicked out of three homes. He couldn’t do his job.

Cesia didn’t want to continue babysitting this grown man, and the media frenzy continued. Eventually, she had to cut ties with him and stop taking media calls.

This is the rest of this story that millions of people saw, but no one really knew. It’s as much about the nature of media on the internet as it is about the difficultly helping someone in active addiction.

Yet despite the not-so-happy ending, Cesia continues to help those who ask. As demonstrated in this video, it takes more than one bad experience to tarnish a heart of gold.

Enjoy my latest video:

Cesia’s story reveals many important truths about addiction and helping those who suffer from it–all of which will be featured in my upcoming documentary series on homelessness in America. Too learn more about this project and contribute to it, click here.

-Brandon