This is what TikTok should be.
As toxic as social media can be sometimes, it’s heartwarming when you see it being used as a force for good – by good people like Justin Nunley.
If you’re not familiar, Justin Danger Nunley is a viral creator who’s racked up nearly 10 million followers not only for his hilarious videos (that usually involve Justin reacting to outrageous viral videos followed by a fun fact), but also for all the good that he’s done with his platform.
Late last year, a young mother named Joslyn posted to TikTok about needing money to pay for her young son to have surgery for a tethered spinal cord. Well after getting tagged many times in the comments, Justin picked up on the story and posted a video encouraging his followers to help out, and quickly raised enough money to pay for the young boy’s surgery.
Well after Joslyn saw the power of social media, she was back this week with another request, this time for her friend Mariah who was unfortunately in her final days.
Mariah was only 33 years old, and had been battling cancer since 2023. She had been receiving treatment in California, but tragically the experimental treatments didn’t work and she was recently put on hospice car – in California, far away from her home in Albertville, Alabama.
@joslynmarie33 I’ve been posting about Mariah for months. PLEASE I NEED A PLANE OR A JET. I NEED A PILOT THAT CAN FLY ASAP. THIS IS LIFE OR DEATH. #PILOT #FYP #TIKTOK #HELP #CANCER @Justin Danger Nunley
Unfortunately Mariah was too sick to fly commercial back home to be with her family and friends in her final days, so Joslyn took to TikTok begging for help with finding a private plane to get her friend back home as she passed away. And once again, Justin Nunley answered the call.
Actually, he made a call…to one of his “Famous Friends,” country star Chris Young. And Chris immediately jumped into action and began making arrangements to get Mariah a private plane.
Justin posted a video of his call with the country singer, despite the fact that he says Chris would have asked him not to because he doesn’t like to make his generosity public. But there was no hesitation from Chris to help out:
“What do you need and when do you need it?”
@justin_danger_nunley Absolutely wild last 24 hrs! Y’all go show @Chris Young some love for always being there to help others in need! The flight is scheduled for 11:30am tomorrow to fly her back to Alabama! @joslyn.marie
Chris immediately got in contact with Ryan Harrell at SOAR Jets, who got the ball rolling and, with the help of Aeromedevac, managed to get a plane to California to pick up Mariah for her final flight home.
There were thousands of people tracking Mariah’s flight as it made its way back into Alabama, and afterwards Justin posted an update that she was able to make it home safely to be with her friends and family.
Unfortunately, Mariah passed away just a day after returning home, but thanks to Chris Young, Justin Nunley, Joslyn, and many others, she was able to pass away peacefully at her home surrounded by her friends and family.
@justin_danger_nunley Definitely not the update I wanted to give 😭 @Chris Young @joslyn.marie
And as Justin pointed out, the irony is that all Chris Young could think about was “getting her home.”
It’s nice to see social media being used for good, and good people like Justin and Chris who step up to help out a total stranger.
