In 2016, Wanda Dench (65 at the time), accidentally text the wrong number when inviting her family round for Thanksgiving.

She had text her grandson, or so she thought – but the message landed in Jamal Hinton’s inbox, then 17.

Instead of ignoring the message, the teen replied: “You’re not my grandma,” and asked if he could still “get a plate”, despite not knowing the woman.

The grandma replied: “Of course, you can. That’s what grandmas do… feed everyone.”

This accidental exchange started a sweet friendship and tradition that has lasted 9 years.

However, this year things did not go as planned.

Dench revealed online that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Earlier in the year, the grandmother was diagnosed with bronchitis. A CT scan was conducted with the intention of checking her lungs, but sadly a mass was found in her breast.

Sharing a statement on social media, she said: “That’s when a mass in my breast was detected and they suggested I get a mammogram and that verified I had breast cancer,”

“I just recently finished up with chemotherapy, so I’m not 100% yet. And I live about two hours away from where Jamal lives. And so we decided that this year would be best for my health if I stayed at home,” she told The Mirror.

“We will FaceTime with each other. I was looking so forward to meeting his family and having turkey with everybody, but we have to accept things the way they are, and I’m sure next year is going to be so much better,”

The unlikely friendship has captured the hearts of people around the world, so much so that Netflix announced in 2021 that they will release a film about Hinton and Dench.

The movie, titled The Thanksgiving Text, has not yet dropped. Both Dench and Hinton said: “We hope it inspires more people to reach out and make connections that they wouldn’t ordinarily make,”. “We are so blessed to find a genuine friendship brought together by God from a mistaken text message.”