Social media sensation Grandma Betty continues to inspire people after her death

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - She captured the hearts of people around the world.

"That's a lot isn't it? That's a lot of people that love me," was Grandma Betty's response upon realizing the impact she made on people.

Grandma Betty became the poster child for people facing hard times with her sweet smile, her solid dance moves and a positive message that took the Internet by storm.

Her great-grandson Zach Belden started Facebook and Instagram accounts for her. The purpose was to chronicle how she always stayed happy, even when that wasn't the easiest thing to do.

Betty Jo Simpson, of Jeffersonville, Indiana was facing cancer and somehow managed to make it through her final days with an infectiously positive attitude. Her family lost her in August.

"It's taken some time to get used to, you know her not being here, but I try not to dwell on it because I know she wouldn't want me to," Belden explained.

It's in that spirit that her great-grandson, the rest of Simpson's family and a Los Angeles filmmaker named Ron Parida plan to keep Grandma Betty's message alive through "The Happiness Project."

"We're going to be documenting the lives of children with cancer and other illnesses," Belden said.

One of the project's first videos is posted to YouTube and features a boy named Achilles. He's dealing with two brain tumors, and has a 50 percent chance at making it past the age of five.

"It was a very emotional experience for me just to watch the video," Belden said.

But it's real life and the message at the end that leaves an impression. "I want to always be the same Grandma Betty," Simpson said, during her final days of life.

Even if Achilles is in the worst amount of pain, he finds a way to fight through it. He has a lasting feeling of happiness that was aligned with the spirit of Grandma Betty. It's the type of life lesson that sometimes only a grandmother can teach.

Check out some videos from "The Happiness Project":

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