Holly McNally of Indiana is a perfect example of a superhero.
While the mom of four insists she’s nothing extraordinary, her actions say otherwise. Not only did she just bring a new life into the world, but she also risked her own to save a stranger – all in the same week!
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The 35-year-old gave birth to her son Connor on February 17. The infant arrived just 26 minutes after Holly’s water broke. Because of that, her doctor couldn’t make it on time, so it was only Holly and a nurse in the emergency delivery room.
“My mother watched me put my hands down there and pull little man out and lay him on the belly,” Holly said.
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A few days later, Holly was driving home from the hospital with her own mother, where they’d been visiting Connor in the NICU. She saw black smoke and fire coming from her exit and stopped to find out what was going on.
A tanker carrying 4,000 gallons of jet fuel had crashed into a guardrail, turned over, and exploded. While the driver, 59-year-old Jeffrey Denman, was able to pull himself out of the truck, he couldn’t escape the flames.
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Holly looked around to see if anyone was making a move to help him, but she didn’t see people taking action. So, despite being a new mom, she ran toward the flames.
“I get out to scan the area, and I see a man coming out of the smoke, and he was on fire,” Holly told CNN. “I said, ‘Mom, I’m going in,’ and she said, ‘Don’t go.’ That’s when I just took off.”
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Holly and another Good Samaritan, Mitch Navarre, used a blanket to put out the flames covering Jeffrey. But they weren’t out of danger yet. Shortly after they pulled Jeffrey away, there was another explosion. They all felt the intense heat, but fortunately, they were far enough away that it didn’t hurt them.
Paramedics rushed Jeffrey to the hospital and later marveled at the heroes who had saved his life.
Of course, for Holly, it was a no-brainer: “I had just left my baby that I got to bring into this world, and I didn’t want to see a life go out of this world.”
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One day, Connor will glow with pride when he hears the story from his heroic mom! We certainly are. Thank you, Holly, for inspiring everyone to help others in need!
Learn more about this selfless individual in the video below, and share this story to spread the word.
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