L.A. nice guy Chris Salvatore is a self-described actor and singer, but the world now knows him as the caring roommate of an 89-year-old woman named Norma Cook.

Initially, Cook and Salvatore were neighbors across the hall in their apartment building—and fast friends for years. But when Cook became ill and faced mounting health bills, Salvatore stepped in with a highly-successful GoFundMe campaign. (In a Medium post, GoFundMe notes that Cook had no family nearby and a Social Security check that “barely covered rent,” leaving her unable to pay the mounting bills or obtain necessary care.)

Salvatore says he managed to raise $50,000 for Cook’s care. Ultimately, to make the money last longer, Cook moved into Salvatore’s own apartment (along with her cat Hermes) where he can be her primary caretaker, along with professional caregivers and nurse and doctor visits.

“My life has changed forever because of Norma and what happened. It gave me hope again. I’m forever grateful for Norma because I feel like I’ll carry this with me for the rest of my life,” he said, calling her is “adopted grandma” in an Instagram post. They even celebrated New Year’s together.

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Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com.