Mary committed her life to saving people and when she saw a homeless man struggling, she didn’t hesitate in helping him with CPR.
In this heartwarming story that illustrates the power of compassion and human connection, a woman’s selfless act of kindness saved someone’s life.
We thought we’d give you a break from all the sad stories out there and share an inspirational piece that might make your heart burst with happiness!
One Valentine’s Day, Mary was eagerly preparing for a romantic evening with her boyfriend Jordan, who said he had a big surprise for her.
Thinking Jordan was finally going to propose, Mary slipped on her favorite black dress and paired it with some gorgeous heels. Mary, a former nurse turned shelter worker, was more comfortable wearing practical flats and clothing but dressing up was still fun.
She was looking forward to the night out and hoped Jordan could keep her mind off the homeless shelter she worked, which was running out of funding. The thought of having to turn the shelter’s residents back to the streets, was heartbreaking for the young woman.
At 7 pm, Jordan drove up in a limousine and welcomed Mary into the car, explaining that he wanted to treat her to an evening she would never forget. Stopping in front of a new building, only a few blocks from her shelter, the two exited the vehicle and walked toward the door of the trendy new restaurant.
As the driver pulled away from the curb, something by the building’s alley captured her attention. She turned her head and saw a young man whose physical pain was visible under the spotlight of the lamp post he leaned. Approaching him as he rubbed his left shoulder, Mary asked, “Sir, are you alright?”
The man, wearing ragged clothes was tired and emotionally broken from the streets. Keeling over, the man looked up at Mary, opened his striking blue eyes and mumbled, “I’m okay, thank you.”
Within seconds, he collapsed to the ground. Recognizing the signs, Mary shouted at Jordan, who was waiting at the door of the restaurant, “Call 911, this man is going into cardiac arrest!”
While Jordan called, Mary dropped to her knees on the sidewalk and after taking the man’s pulse, she started chest compressions.
“They are on their way,” Jordan told Mary when he got off the phone.
Next, noticing Mary tilting the man’s head back to clear the airway, Jordan fired, “Mary! You are not putting your mouth on that man!”
Mary looked up at him. “What else can I do, Jordan? He’s not getting enough oxygen!”
He sniped, “If you do mouth-to-mouth on this bum, I’m never kissing you again. We’re done!”
“Then I guess we’re done,” Mary said, turning back to the man to perform CPR while Jordan stormed off down the street.
Mary alternated chest compressions with mouth-to-mouth until paramedics arrived, and riding with him to the hospital, Mary grasped his hand. Every now and then she’d feel him tightly squeeze her hand and with every squeeze, she became more invested in his recovery.
Once they were at the hospital – the same one she once worked as a nurse and now works closely with in her position at the shelter – she stood waiting in the lobby.
“Happy Valentine’s Day to me!” she quipped after catching her reflection in the glass entryway, that showed her in the black dress and heels.
Familiar with the staff and procedures, Mary found his wallet in his now discarded clothing. After learning his name was Jake, she also located a card with his emergency contact information.
Calling the number listed, a kind woman on the other end answered, “Hello?”
“Hello,” Mary said. “Are you a relative of Jake?”
The woman, panic surging in her voice, said, “Jake? Jake is my son! Where is he? What’s happened?”
Mary relayed that Jake went into cardiac arrest and was in intensive care at the hospital.
“Please,” the woman said. “Wait for me, I’ll be there in half an hour!”
Mary had nowhere else to go since her heartless boyfriend walked away. About 30 minutes later, a beautiful lady in her sixties entered through the glass doors and ran up to the reception desk, asking for Jake. Mary shot up from her seated position and went to the woman, introducing herself.
“You helped my son? You’re his friend?” she asked.
Mary smiled and replied, “I was on my way to dinner when I saw your son in distress on the street, so I gave him CPR.”
Jake’s mom grabbed Mary’s hand and thanked her for saving his life. Shortly after, a doctor explained that Jake was suffering from long-term malnutrition, which led to heart failure. But he was conscious and would likely have a full recovery.
When the pair of women walked into the room, Jake, who looked very pale, glowed when he saw Mary. Then he looked at his sobbing mother who cried, “Oh, darling forgive me! I miss you so much! I know I was wrong…”
Taking her hand and kissing it, he then fell asleep. The two women walked out of the room and his mother explained how she kicked him out of the house 10 years before because he refused to take over the family business and instead wanted to be an artist.
“I thought he’d change his mind and come crawling back, but he never did! I saw some reviews of his work, and they were fabulous, but it seems he’s struggling…” she said.
Jake’s recovery
Over the next while, Mary visited Jake frequently to support her new friend in recovery. And every time he saw her, a smile beamed across his glowing face. His mother praised Mary for her kindness every day and promised Jake she would support his decisions as an artist.
Once he was released from hospital, Jake moved back in with his mom, and grew a romantic relationship with Mary, who had become part of the family. Following through with her promises, Jake’s mom financed an exhibition of her son’s paintings in a major art gallery and brought much needed attention to his incredible talents.
But that wasn’t all.
The struggling shelter Mary worked received a large donation, covering many of its expenses over the next several years. Every day finding inspiration through each other, Mary continued changing lives at the shelter and Jake opened his own art studio, neither financially burdened again.
The encounter between Mary and Jake serves as a powerful reminder that a simple act of kindness can have profound and life-altering consequences. It’s so easy to walk by and ignore someone in need, but it’s easier to stop and ask if they are okay. What would you do in this circumstance?
Please share this inspiring story and let’s get the conversation going!
If you found this story enlightening, check out the one about a woman who lied to her family to protect her husband.
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