Dashlin James from Waco, Texas got a nasty surprise last month when he stepped out of his home and saw a big, green ambulance parked in front of his neighbor's home. Margaret Durham has been living next door to him for 15 years and she's very independent, but she's also 98-years old.
It's been a warm summer in the South this year, with temperatures regularly topping 115 degrees, and James worried the heat had affected his neighbor. Pets aren't the only ones who are put at risk as temperatures start to rise.
As it turned out, Durham had been outside mowing her lawn that day when the EMT crew stopped in front of her house. They had passed by the street multiple times, so something must have drawn them back to Durham.
Kent Haney, one of the EMTs inside the ambulance, said he saw that Durham "was on a dangerous slope of the yard, possibly could fall and lose control of the lawn mower and injure herself." Without a moment's hesitation the 3 heroes pulled over and did something their community will never forget.
Click the next page to learn why Durham calls these EMTs her "angels!"
First responders Kent Haney, Matt Linda and Deannna Covic got out of the ambulance and mowed Durham's lawn for her. While their act of kindness has gone viral, they say it's all in a day's work when you're helping to protect the public.
"Our job is here for us to help people and that's what we like doin'," says Matt Linda, "that's why we're called to do what we do." In fact this isn't the only time the EMTs have stopped to help a citizen in need. The month before, they pulled over to help a family stranded by a flat tire.
When Durham's daughter-in-law Pam heard what the EMTs had done, she was almost moved to tears. "We hear lots of sad and bad things on the news," she said, "but such a nice, random act of kindness is so awesome to hear."
Dashlin obviously agreed, because he shared photos of the ambulance staff on Facebook, where their good deed attracted a lot of attention.
Durham says she appreciated the help, but still insisted on putting the lawnmower away herself when they were done. Now that she's met the EMTs, they say they'll stop by every so often to check on her.
Share this story if you still believe there are good people in our world!