Exploring the Differences in Year 9 of the “Thanksgiving Grandma” Tradition with Jamal Hinton

A tradition that began in 2016 when Wanda Dench accidentally texted the wrong number an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner had a slight change for their ninth year.

When Jamal Hinton, a teenager at the time, received a text from Dench claiming to be his “grandma,” he responded to the invitation, sparking a beautiful friendship. Since then, the two have spent every Thanksgiving together, but this year’s celebration was different from the rest.

It’s a heartwarming story that resurfaces each and every Thanksgiving, and for good reason.

Back in 2016, when Dench thought she was texting her grandson an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner, she actually texted Hinton. Instead of just ignoring the wrong text, he responded, and the conversation ended up with him getting an invite to dinner.

“I was texting two of my grandsons and the one who had changed his phone number and didn’t tell me,” Dench told PEOPLE. “And it seems as though Jamal had gotten his old phone number and that’s how Jamal got my text.”

Hinton, 17 at the time of the text, shared more of the details with PEOPLE about that first encounter with Dench.

“The text said, ‘Thanksgiving at my house’ and it was from a grandma, but I was like, ‘When did my grandma learn to text?’ So I asked her for a picture and it definitely was not my grandma,” he said. “Can I still get a plate tho?”

Dench responded, “Of course you can. That’s what grandmas do…feed everyone,” and their tradition of enjoying Thanksgiving dinner together began. But this year, things were a little different for the two.

A few days before Thanksgiving, Hinton shared an Instagram post to announce the exciting news, “Year 9 coming soon!” But then on Thanksgiving, he shared a different announcement.

“Happy Thanksgiving from MY FAMILY to yours. We are all wishing @wandadench a fast healthy recovery. Year 9 didn’t go as planned but we will be back better than ever for YEAR 10 next year,” he wrote in his caption.

Dench told CNN on Thursday morning, “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 home.”

She also shared that they would be FaceTiming 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,” she said.

Before sharing that Instagram announcement with a carousel of photos, Hinton shared a clip of his Live with Dench. That’s when fans of their heartwarming story first realized the two weren’t together for the holiday.

“Are you guys not together today? If no this makes me so sad,” one viewer shared in the comments. Another said, “Please never stop doing this. This is my favorite tradition. The world needs this.”

Many other viewers felt the same way and shared their well wishes for Dench, who recently announced she has breast cancer.

“Feel better soon Wanda! @jamalhinton12 Thanks for keeping this amazing tradition going,” one person shared. Another said, “We’re all praying for you, everyone’s internet grandma, Wanda! Happy Thanksgiving to you, Jamal, and all of your loved ones! Thank you for always sharing yourselves with us all.”

One other viewer said, “These posts have become one of the best Thanksgiving traditions.”

In mid-October, Hinton shared a message from Dench on his Instagram page.

“Hi, my name is Wanda, you might know how we meant in 2016 when I accidentally sent him a text inviting him to Thanksgiving when I thought I sent it to my grandson.  It went viral and it changed our life for the better and we still plan on getting together for Thanksgiving next month as we have every year,” the caption began.

“But what I want to let you know today is this month is Breast Cancer awareness month. Earlier this year I came down with bronchitis and had a CT scan to check out my lungs.  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 have been currently going through chemotherapy.  Cancer does not run in my family and all the mammograms I had in the past were always negative.  In 2022 I turned 65 years old and I thought I would have my last mammogram and not have to think about it again.  But I was wrong.”

Her message continued to explain all the support she has and that she’s learned a lot through it all.

“I’ve learned a lot of life’s lessons through it all, but what I want to stress most of all is just because you may be older, we still have a life to live,” her message continued. “After watching the Golden Bachelor last year that gave me hope that I could still find love in my senior years.  So, continue getting your checkups and continue to live YOUR life!”

Hinton’s Thanksgiving Instagram caption shared news about something exciting happening on Friday evening.

“Join Wanda and I on live tomorrow at 7pm MST,” he shared. “We plan on going live for about 20 minutes to answer questions, make comments, and just have a great time! We appreciate EVERYONES support.”

Fans of Hinton and Dench’s story shared how happy they are that the tradition lives on.

“Can I just say when this story surfaces every year – I smile? Wishing you both a happy tenth year next year,” one person wrote in the comment section. Another shared, “Been waiting for this to pop up all day! One of my fav posts of the year. I as well as everyone else just adore y’all’s friendship! Happy Thanksgiving and speedy recovery wishes sent to Ms. Wanda.”