Woman Shares How Saving A Stranger’s Life Helped Save Hers As Well

An Athens, GA, TikTok user spotted a man sleeping on the stairs at her apartment complex. She thought he was homeless. She made him a sandwich, also grabbing him an apple and a bottle of water. But when she approached him, she was unable to wake him. She saw he was wearing all black on a hot Georgia day. His face and neck were deep red, almost purple. Quickly realizing he needed help, she dialed 911, saving the stranger’s life.

The man wasn’t homeless. Paramedics discovered that he was a student and likely lost his balance and fell down the stairs, leaving a party. His hoodie concealed a head injury, and he may have suffered a seizure. The positioning of his head was interrupting blood circulation in his neck, probably causing his loss of consciousness.

First responders were quick to praise the young lady for calling them. They stated that her timely call saved the stranger’s life. The young lady thought about the entire event once the ambulance loaded the stranger and he was going to the hospital. Just days earlier, she had been on the brink of taking her own life. It hit her hard that if she had been successful, this young man likely would not have survived.

Our young heroine‘s realization that her life meant something was eye-opening. Her message is simple: “You aren’t insignificant. You Matter.” In the final slide, she talks about all the other people who probably walked by this young man without offering help or checking his well-being. With the temperature at 95 degrees, pavement can easily reach 20 to 40 degrees higher in the sun. She ends with a plea to others: “It would have taken nothing to call in a wellness check.” And she is spot-on with this timely advice.

We’ve all done it. We see a person lying on the ground and continue walking by, maybe shaking our heads and muttering about how sad it is. Sometimes, we might consider stopping to help. We often nonchalantly keep walking, perhaps pretending we didn’t see it. Anderson Cooper of CNN once did a news story on homelessness. Exposure to this epidemic problem changed his perception of people living on the streets. He used to practice avoidance, but now he “sees” the homeless population as people.

It takes a small effort to care. Call 911 for a wellness check. Talk to the person. Offer them a sandwich. Your small effort might be the thing that saves a stranger’s life someday.

If this story helped you realize that YOU MATTER, please share it. So many people need this message.

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.