On his birthday, a young woman astonished a WWII veteran. The man had no clue that his neighbor’s thoughtful act would quickly go viral and inspire affection from people all around the world.

One of the final World War II veterans is Willy Bontinck, who lives in Belgium. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the military as a volunteer and rose to the status of a national hero. He continues to be a hero and is showered with love and admiration from others in his immediate vicinity years afterward.

Bontinck volunteered for the Red Cross prior to serving his country as a soldier in 1944 since he was too young to do so. Like his admirers, he continues to be proud of what he accomplished at the time.

Elien Van den Brande, Bontinck’s next-door neighbor, had made it a tradition to present the elderly man with a cake on his birthday each year. Since his studio was close to his home, she knew him through her work as a photographer.

After realizing that Bontinck was a veteran, Brande loved and respected him even more. She was a 27-year-old woman who enjoyed putting others in a good mood and had no idea that one of her cute gestures would quickly become viral.

The teenager adored uploading videos to TikTok. She purchased Bontinck a customized birthday cake with her picture on it for her 95th birthday.

Brande went to Bontinck’s after purchasing the cake and took a video on her phone to upload to TikTok. She wanted to record her neighbor’s response so she could observe it afterward.

Brande’s TikTok video went viral online two days later.

In the video, Brande gives Bontinck a cake box that is white, and Bontinck sets it on the dining room table. He opens it and raises his palms in astonishment as Brande chuckles.

The internet is ablaze with discussion on Brande’s video. Everyone admired his thoughtfulness and the joy on Bontinck’s face when he saw his birthday cake. Supportive replies poured into the comments section in droves.

Following the video’s success, Brande’s TikTok following increased to 12,000 users. She expressed amazement and claimed she had no desire to become famous. She created the video solely for herself and posted it to TikTok with the expectation that it would receive similar attention to her prior films.

People on the internet wanted to send Bontinck gifts as well, and Brande promised to deliver them to his home. She was overjoyed to witness the outpouring of love and affection for Bontinck.