A resident in a health facility in the ninth decade of her life had a fall and needed to be transferred to the local hospital. The ambulance arrived with two men who moved her to the ambulance with great care, frequently asking her questions about her condition. She was of course in some distress but was given assurance that soon she would be seen by an ER doctor for the necessary treatment. But she was still anxious and apparently it showed.
The principal attendant sat beside her during the trip constantly checking her vital functions and frequently questioning her in the first instance to identify her condition but also to relieve her anxiety.
The EMS responder understood the need for her assurance that everything would be taken care of, so he initiated a conversation with her asking questions about her life, her family and children, grandchildren, her church and so on. One question he asked was what was her favorite food, a subject he felt would solicit a response and likely to get her mind off her accident. It worked wonderfully well.
She instantly replied that she did indeed have a favorite and proceeded to give him the details. It was not a steak, a complicated dish to prepare or some pricey entrée but rather it was something that was commonly available and not very expensive. Her foremost desire was to have a sausage biscuit from a local popular fast food restaurant. The conversation then continued to other topics and soon the ambulance arrived at the hospital where she was successfully treated for bruises.
But before leaving from the hospital to answer another call, the attendant spoke to his new friend again and told her that one day soon she would have a visitor with something very special for her: a sausage biscuit. She thanked him for his concern and forgot the remark. After all he was only trying to be kind to her she reasoned.
Days later, before she left her room for breakfast, there was a knock on her door and there appeared someone she thought she recognized as the uniformed EMS attendant. She was somewhat surprised but delighted to see him. He introduced himself, giving his name and stating that he lived nearby and had remembered his promise about her favorite meal. He then handed her a bag containing a most appetizing surprise: a sausage biscuit from her favorite restaurant.
While it was only a routine purchase for him, she did not look on the gift in that manner. There she was practically a total stranger who had been helped by a caring professional but who had treated her like a long lost friend in her estimation by remembering his promise and going to the trouble to stop by to give her a happy memory that will last forever.
She remembered his name as Mr. Stephen King which has been changed here to better shed light on one aspect of his human kindness: Mr. Good Samaritan.
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Bill Lee, PO Box 128,
Hamer, SC 29547
