Blind dad forced to sell mops on street to feed kids gets £99,000 from complete strangers

A blind dad forced to sell mops on streets to feed his kids after being evicted from his home has been gifted $120,000 (£99,000) from strangers.

Sebastian Ibanez, from Mesa in Arizona, US, struggled to find work as he was blind and partially deaf with many employers refusing to give the dad a job.

He resorted to selling brooms and mops on the street in 2015 to help support his wife, who has cancer, and his three kids.

Sebastian, who would stay on the street until 6pm, has kept his prices the same, with a broom costing $6 (£5) or two for $10 (£8).

He would hold up banners and signs which said "working to support my family" and "now accepting cash app payments" alongside his products.

Each Friday, he would head to the street at the exact location and would inform his customers on social media.

He was trying to build up a loyal following, but one business owner ordered him off the street as he didn't want him there.

Sebastian has not raised the price of his mops and brooms since he started in 2015 (Sebastian Ibañez/Facebook)

Customers would come and support his mop business (Sebastian Ibañez/Facebook)

And on some occasions, Sebastian would be deceived by heartless thieves who would steal his brooms after taking advantage of him.

He was even offered fake money on a number of occasions, which made him introduce the cash app to try and prevent his mops from being stolen.

But, he would turn up with a smile on his face determined to provide for his family, who were relying on him.

Jimmy Darts, a TikToker, read about Sebastian's story and generously gave him $1,000 (£800).

However, he thought he deserved more and soon campaigned to raise additional money.

He was forced to sell the items to help fund his family (Sebastian Ibañez/Facebook)

The dad-of-three said he wanted his kids to be proud of him (Sebastian Ibañez/Facebook)

He set up a GoFundMe with a target of $20,000 (£17,000), but it soon surpassed the figure after 5,900 donors stumped up $122,181 (£99,000).

Hundreds of people on the street turned up to provide Sebastian with his cheque, which will help him became the first blind car salesman in Arizona, a long-lasting dream of his.

Sebastian, who thanked his generous contributors, said: "I want to be someone my children are proud of. I want to be someone my children want to be like. I don’t need any role models for them if I am able to beat it."

He is set to become a car salesman after he was offered a job by a local dealership.