95-year-old man who couldn’t walk gets well in time to be 'flower grandpa' at granddaughter's wedding

Flower girls throwing petals over the aisle as the bride enters is a cute ritual, but it turned even better at a wedding where a nonagenarian turned into a 'flower grandpa.' Rachel Pitman asked her 95-year-old grandfather, Bert Edlin, to be the "flower grandpa" at her wedding. The only problem was that Edlin had a catastrophic fall 16 months before Pitman's wedding. He required life-saving surgery and resuscitation after his airways became blocked. "Doctors told us recovery was slim and even if he did recover, he wouldn't be able to walk, talk, or eat again," the bride explained in an Instagram video. "In the period of time where he couldn't talk, he handed me a piece of paper with a note that said 'I will make it to your wedding.'"

The grandfather was determined and lucky enough to recover despite all odds. He fulfilled his promise and kept his word. Pitman also shared a video of the happy "flower grandpa" making a grand entrance with his basket in hand. Edlin happily tosses petals as he walks down the aisle, arm in arm with a bridesmaid in the clip and everyone cheers for him. 

The video was also uploaded on TikTok by @contentcapturedbyamy and garnered almost three million views. Edlin made another appearance in celebration of his viral video. This time, he sent a heartwarming message to those who helped him become an internet sensation. "[I'm] TikTok famous because I've been a good boy. I've lived a long life," he says with pride. His granddaughter appreciates him and says, "You're the most determined person I know and I feel so lucky to call you my Grandad."

People in the comment section adored the "flower grandpa" and his will to put a smile on his granddaughter's face. "This is just beautiful and made me cry," wrote @_.mae005._. "I can't cope. Your Grandad is the cutest and so inspirational," commented @jade_2112. "I've never had grandparents (they died before I was born) this makes me miss them even though I never knew them," shared @browngirlrhymes.

Another adorable grandpa soared to fame on YouTube after a fellow creator gave him a shout-out. Cole Caetano (@karvetv), an Instagram user, introduced his followers to the channel "Grandpa Reads the Comics." It contains wholesome clips of him playing the piano, dancing and making a smoothie. The grandpa always concluded his videos with a positive message for his audience. The elderly social media sensation was grateful for his new fans "and all the new friends." 

He acknowledged his rise and said, "You've like, breathed life into this old man." Craig Hansen, the man's name, also has an Instagram page called Grandpa Advice, which has over 87,000 followers. He has managed to inspire many of his followers. One of them even commented, saying, "Thanks Grandpa, I really needed this for the past couple of days, I've been so busy with school and work it's been so much on my back and I'm only 20 years old! But after seeing today's video, I realized it will all be worth it if I just keep trying! Thanks for the inspiring message grandpa. Love you guys."