Walmart shoppers realized their favorite greeter wasn’t there, then rallied behind him when they found out he was sick

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (WDBJ/Gray News) - After Walmart shoppers realized their favorite greeter was not at work because he was sick, they all rallied behind him.

Larry Carter, 74, had gone missing from his usual spot at the Walmart he works at in Virginia.

“Someone was asking about me and someone responded to that, and it just started off with that one person and after a couple of hours it went up to like 800 people,” Carter said.

Hundreds of people were all wondering where Carter had been.

“We started missing him around Christmas,” Elizabeth Price said. “We thought, ‘He’s just on vacation, had some time off.' Then I saw the post from his daughter.”

Carter had been rushed to the hospital on Christmas Eve and diagnosed with vocal paralysis, which prevented him from having a clear airway. He spent a week in the ICU.

“Then they found out the only way they could deal with that situation was to intubate me,” Carter said. “After life support, they would put me on a trach.”

Carter is now in a rehabilitation center focusing on healing. He is not sure when he will return to work but his community is supporting him through his recovery.

“He’s become an icon at Walmart,” Price said. “You know, when you go in and he’s not there to greet you with a basket or to say good morning or whatever, you start to miss that.”

Some people showed up at the rehabilitation center on Monday to surprise him.

A GoFundMe was created to help Carter as he recovers.