Veteran, 64, Gets Emotional After Receiving His First Birthday Cake In A ‘Long Time’ From Coworkers

Aug 04, 2023

For those who celebrate their birthday every year, it’s normal to expect cakes and gifts from some of your closest friends and family. However, there are people who are unfortunate to even celebrate the special occasion as they had to work in order to survive life.

Luckily for a veteran named Leo Rivas, who didn’t have any major plans for his 64th birthday and had not received a birthday cake in a long time, he got the surprise of his life from his co-workers, which led him to cry tears of joy as seen on a video shared on TikTok in July 2023.

In an interview with WZZM 13, the old man said he spent most of his time working in a sink as he was a part-time dishwasher at Big E’s Sports Grill in Holland, Michigan.

The retired veteran served the country twice in the past.

According to his supervisor, Noemi Feliciano, also known by her nickname MiiMii, Rivas had been an amazing coworker as he loved to spoil them with a bag of candies every single day.

Feliciano then spoke about the big surprise. She told the outlet that she often bakes cakes whenever someone from the restaurant’s staff has a birthday, that’s why it’s no surprise that she made a heartwarming move for the veteran.

On the day of his birthday, the supervisor and her co-workers decided to surprise him while he was doing the dishes on the day he turned 64 years old.

As seen in the video, Rivas immediately started to tear up and became emotional upon seeing the cake adorned with strawberries, along with the text, “Happy Birthday Leo.”

The staff sang and greeted him for the special occasion, and he continued to cover his eyes due to the overwhelming emotions.

Feliciano explained that she knew Rivas liked strawberry, and that’s why she decided to add it to the cake as a decoration.

“All the servers and everybody were behind her, and it just, it brought me to tears… I’m still on cloud nine, trying to accept it,” he said.

Rivas also noted that it had been a "long time" since he last got a cake, and the surprise brought him “big, big joy,” and he appreciated his coworkers for showing him how much they appreciated him.

The veteran now has a core memory to live on for the rest of his life as he considered it “one of the best birthdays in a long time.”

In addition to giving him the surprise of his life, the supervisor also set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for Rivas.

“After talking to him prior to his bday, I was aware that he had not had a bday cake in a while. So I decided to surprise him and bake him a cake and we all sanged (sic) him happy birthday,” she wrote in the description.

In August 2023, the supervisor shared a follow-up video about Rivas where he personally thanked the millions of people who witnessed his reaction online.

He also expressed his gratitude for everything that the online community has done for him.

“I’d just like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for your donations for my birthday,” he said.

The video ended with Rivas’ joke, as he told the “single ladies” viewers that he was “very available.”

What do you think of the restaurant staff’s big surprise for their coworker? Would you also be emotional like the retired veteran in the viral video? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.