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Vanity - Failed Persons Last Heroic Act
Self | 17 AUG 2011 | Self

Posted on 08/17/2011 11:15:13 AM PDT by SampleMan

My wife is a physician at the local ER/Trauma Center. Yesterday she told me a story that reminded me that everyone has the ability to be noble.

We had a horrific accident here that involved a car plowing into a group of pedestrians, crushing them against parked cars.

One of her hospital's "frequent flyer" substance abusers was killed in that accident. A long-time homeless alcoholic, that would show up regularly at the ER.

According to several eye witness accounts, his last act was not to run or shove, but to grab a young child (no relation to himself) and toss them out of the center of the impact area, planting himself firmly in the oncoming car's path. He was crushed.

The child is expected to fully recover.

God have mercy on his soul.


TOPICS: Religion
KEYWORDS: waytogo
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1 posted on 08/17/2011 11:15:16 AM PDT by SampleMan
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To: SampleMan

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.


2 posted on 08/17/2011 11:18:20 AM PDT by PieterCasparzen (We need to fix things ourselves)
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To: SampleMan

Awesome story of a true hero. My bet would be that he was also a vet. Thanks for sharing that. Prayers for all involved in this horrible accident.


3 posted on 08/17/2011 11:19:42 AM PDT by Outlaw Woman (Palin/Perry 2012)
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To: PieterCasparzen

Amen.


4 posted on 08/17/2011 11:20:16 AM PDT by mrmeyer ("When brute force is on the march, compromise is the red carpet." Ayn Rand)
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To: SampleMan

Blessings to your wife, and this fine man who saved another.


5 posted on 08/17/2011 11:21:42 AM PDT by svcw
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To: SampleMan

Alcoholism is an affliction that affects good and bad alike.

Sounds as if this was a good man that just couldn’t get it together. But at least once it can be said of his life that he was the right man, in the right place, at the right time.

God rest his soul.


6 posted on 08/17/2011 11:21:42 AM PDT by Retired Greyhound
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To: SampleMan

Sounds like he followed the path of St.Dismas, the Penitent Thief. It’s never too late to turn to God.


7 posted on 08/17/2011 11:23:54 AM PDT by Shadow44
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To: SampleMan

How a man dies...

How a man lives.


8 posted on 08/17/2011 11:25:26 AM PDT by El Sordo (The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen.)
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To: SampleMan

Many substance abusers are not bad people. They are often self-medicating due to anxiety, abuse or other personal/mental problems.


9 posted on 08/17/2011 11:27:08 AM PDT by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open ( <o> ---)
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To: SampleMan

Thank you for sharing this story.


10 posted on 08/17/2011 11:28:09 AM PDT by NEMDF
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To: SampleMan

“Failed Persons Last Heroic Act”

When the right moment came, he didn’t fail. God bless this man.


11 posted on 08/17/2011 11:28:09 AM PDT by GenXteacher (He that hath no stomach for this fight, let him depart!)
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To: PieterCasparzen

Perhaps tonight he will be with Him.

May God have mercy on his soul.


12 posted on 08/17/2011 11:28:35 AM PDT by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur: non vehere est inermus)
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To: SampleMan

Life’s huge disconnect between station and honor is somethimes baffling;

I once worked in an honorable field that took great stock in their noble purpose; along the way it’s true they made a great deal of money.

In this elite corporate environment I noticed something funny:

The people most given to pronouncing that, “it’s not about the money...!” in fact were the most acquisitive and treacherous —realllly black-hearted, greedy people.

And the unassuming mass who quietly, routinely went about their jobs with no such public pronouncements were highly honorable, just like the claims of the first group.

Sometimes the people most adept at helping others are rather bad at helping themselves.


13 posted on 08/17/2011 11:39:25 AM PDT by gaijin
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To: SampleMan

SampleMan...

Write this up and contact your local newspaper. This story deserves wider circulation.


14 posted on 08/17/2011 11:40:59 AM PDT by Wordkraft
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To: Wordkraft; SampleMan

Agree. But be careful. You may have already violated HIPAA rules and Privacy Acts just by what you’ve shared here.


15 posted on 08/17/2011 11:51:07 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (The views and opinions expressed in this post are true and correct. Deal with it)
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To: SampleMan

I’d only disagree with the thread title...by his final act, he proved he wasn’t failed...just human.

God Bless Him.


16 posted on 08/17/2011 11:55:34 AM PDT by JRios1968 (I'm guttery and trashy, with a hint of lemon. - Laz)
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To: SampleMan

God Bless him and our Country where even our least have it in them to rise to the top.


17 posted on 08/17/2011 12:16:22 PM PDT by txroadkill
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To: Responsibility2nd
HIPAA be damned. I appreciate this story. The plot resembles a large number of short stories and Twilight Zone episodes. One of my favorites was One for the Angels in 1959 with the great Keenan Wynn as a small-time pitchman who ultimately offered himself in place of a dying child. (Very interesting - in researching this I find that Dana Dillaway who played young Maggie was also in the episode I Sing the Body Electric.)
18 posted on 08/17/2011 12:21:30 PM PDT by jimfree (In 2012 Sarah Palin will have more quality executive experience than Barack Obama.)
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To: SampleMan

I am guilty of forgetting that bums are human beings too. They are perhaps more flawed than myself but still capable of doing good.

This doesn’t mean that I buy into Liberal plans for helping them. Just giving
them money isn’t going to help them. Giving them opportunities to turn their lives around may. How each of us can do that may vary, but you can bet your bottom dollar we as individuals can come up with better plans than the giverment.


19 posted on 08/17/2011 12:22:23 PM PDT by BUGSWOL
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To: SampleMan

The Native Americans place great importance on dying well. I’d say this man died well.


20 posted on 08/17/2011 12:22:32 PM PDT by Kartographer (".. we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.")
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