“Thanksgiving Grandma” and the boyfriend she accidentally invited to dinner nine years ago are spending the holiday apart

A man who forged an unbreakable bond with the grandmother who accidentally invited him to Thanksgiving dinner is spending his first holiday apart in nine years as she currently battles cancer.

Wanda Dench, 67, and Jamal Hinton, 25, from Arizona, became unlikely friends after she texted the then-teenager in 2016 thinking he was her grandson – a mistake that changed their lives for the better.

But in a heartbreaking social media post in October, Dench explained she was diagnosed with breast cancer after contracting bronchitis.

The treatment left Dench’s immune system weakened, meaning the couple were unable to meet as they had done since 2016.

Instead, the pair met on Instagram Live, with Hinton and Dench chatting as he passed out his phone to members of his family, who wished her a “Happy Thanksgiving.”

“I just recently finished chemotherapy, so I’m not 100 percent yet,” Dench explained when answering questions from viewers.

“And I live about two hours from where Jamal lives. And so we decided that this year would be better for my health if I stayed home.

“I was looking forward to meeting his family and having turkey dinner with everyone, but we have to take it as it comes and I’m sure next year will be much better.”

Wanda Dench, 67, and Jamal Hinton, 25, became unlikely friends after she wrote to the then-teenager in 2016 thinking he was her grandson, a mistake that changed their lives for the better.

The couple were forced to meet online rather than in person this year after Dench was diagnosed with cancer and undergoing treatment, leaving her immunocompromised.

Hinton explained how she discovered she had cancer after a routine checkup.

“I had a CT scan to check my lungs. That’s when a mass was discovered in my chest,” she said.

“I (am) currently undergoing chemotherapy. My family and friends quickly came to my aid and supported me throughout.”

Dench also added that cancer does not run in her family and that all of her previous mammograms were negative.

She said that when she turned 65 in 2022, she assumed she would no longer have to receive them, adding: “But I was wrong.”

Dench added that she’s learned “a lot of life lessons” through it all, emphasizing that “just because you’re older, you still have a life to live.”

Hinton and Dench’s chance meeting occurred after she texted him to ask if he would come to Thanksgiving dinner at her house, thinking she was reaching out to her grandson.

They soon realized she had written to the wrong person, but Hinton, who was 17 at the time, jokingly asked if he could “still get the plate?”

“Of course you can, grandmothers do that, they’ll feed everyone,” Dench quickly replied.

For the first time in nine years, the couple was unable to get together on Thanksgiving Day.

Hinton was just 17 when Dench accidentally sent him a text message, thinking he was her grandson, in 2016.

Hinton explained that she had written to the wrong person, but then asked if he could “still have the plate?” They spent Thanksgiving together for the first time this year.

When Hinton showed up to dinner that year, she immediately hugged him, and from then until this year, the couple spent every Thanksgiving together.

Talking to Today In 2021, Hinton shared that he was surprised when Dench said she might join her family’s celebration, but decided to roll with it.

“Yes, there was a huge amount of hesitation because it was just a joke,” he recalls. “I was in math class. I took the test. And I was like, “Hey, why not?”

“I’m just a sociable person. I like meeting new people, and then she said, ‘Yes,’ and I was just blown away.”

They became unlikely friends after she wrote to him and invited him to Thanksgiving in 2016. As a result, the then teenager went to her house for the holiday and has continued to do so every year since.

Hinton eventually went to Dench’s celebration, and continued to do so every year until this year.

Dench, who said in a previous interview that she’s not a fan of Thanksgiving, previously admitted that she actually wanted to cancel the 2016 holiday dinner, but the universe had other plans.

Ironically, Dench is not a fan of Thanksgiving, and she admitted on the morning show that she actually wanted to cancel her holiday plans this year.

“I was tired of having a holiday every year, so I asked my husband if we could just skip Thanksgiving this year and take a little vacation or something,” she said. “But little did I know, that wasn’t what the universe had planned for me.”

Dench and Hinton plan regular visits year-round, and during the pandemic he and his girlfriend Michaela have left food outside their door.

It has been a difficult time for the widow, who lost her beloved husband Lonnie to Covid-19 on April 5, 2020, just days after he contracted the virus.

On her first Thanksgiving without her husband, she hosted an early dinner attended by Hinton and Michaela, as well as her daughter and grandson.

Hinton’s girlfriend, Michaela, is also spending Thanksgiving with them, and the two have grown close to Dench’s husband, Lonnie, who died of COVID in April 2020.

On Dench’s first Thanksgiving without her husband in 2020, she hosted an early dinner that was attended by Hinton and Michaela, as well as her daughter and grandson.

In December 2021, just a week after they took their sixth vacation together, it was announced that a film inspired by their story was in development at Netflix.

“I told her about the cameras and the fame, that tomorrow everything could stop and nothing would change between us,” Hinton said on the Today show last year. “He’s in my heart for life,” agreed Dench.

A framed photo of Lonnie was placed on the dining room table as they paid tribute to him during the meeting.

In December 2021, just a week after they took their sixth vacation together, it was announced that Netflix was in development of a film inspired by their story.

While the film hasn’t been released yet, the streamer says the film will highlight their deep friendship despite their differences and their unlikely connection, all thanks to confusing lyrics.

“I told her about the cameras and the fame, that tomorrow everything could stop and nothing would change between us,” Hinton said during a 2021 interview.

“Absolutely,” Dench agreed. “He’s in my heart for life.”

When Hinton started a new car painting and tinting business, he featured Dench on his billboard.

When Hinton started a new car painting and tinting business last year, he featured Dench on his billboard in honor of their enduring friendship.

Hinton and Dench announced they had become business partners, launching mineral water company BlackMP in 2022.

Last year, the duo teamed up to compete for $250,000 as contestants on the TBS game show The Cube.

“He literally changed my life,” Dench said of Hinton in a 2021 interview.

He was next to her too when she got her first tattoo, vowing that next time they would get “matching tattoos.”

“I always told her, whatever I do, she’s a part of it, whatever it is,” he said.

In 2022, Hinton and Dench announced that they had become business partners, launching mineral water company BlackMP.

They also teamed up to compete for $250,000 as contestants on the TBS game show The Cube.

During an appearance on the “Today” show Dench described how Hinton taught her to be “open to friendship (even) when you think you have nothing in common with someone.”

“He literally changed my life,” she said.

“It’s amazing that she’s my friend and my family,” Hinton added.