When first responders rushed to save Melissa Ann Work's husband from a massive heart attack, they performed their duties flawlessly. But it was their return visit the next day, for a reason that had nothing to do with medicine, that left the Florida family speechless and overwhelmed with gratitude.
The emergency in 2018 began while Melissa's husband and his brother-in-law were in the middle of a stressful project: laying new sod in their yard to meet a looming deadline from their Homeowner's Association. The pressure was so immense that it remained his top concern, even as his life was in danger.
"While he was having his heart attack, literally in and out of consciousness, he kept begging me to figure out the sod and have it put down," Melissa recalled in a post about the incident. "I calmed him and kept saying, ‘Jesus will help us. It’s okay. Jesus will figure this out, babe.’"
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After her husband was safely transported to the hospital, Melissa’s brother-in-law stayed behind, hoping to finish the yard work to avoid the hefty HOA fine. He was working the next day when he suddenly "heard huge trucks driving back down the road." It was the fire and ambulance crew.
His initial confusion turned to disbelief. "Before he knew it, 7 firefighters and EMTs jumped out and put on gloves," Melissa wrote. The crew, knowing the patient would be unable to do physical labor for weeks, had returned to finish the job for him.
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The unexpected act of service left the family overcome with emotion. "They came back! They came back! They saved his life, dropped him off and then cared enough to save our grass!" she exclaimed.
What made the gesture so powerful was that the first responders had no idea about the HOA deadline or the financial sacrifices the family had made to afford the new lawn. They simply saw a family in need and decided to step up.
"They didn't know all we have been through as a little family. They simply saw someone in need and did this for us. We have no words. Just sobbing," Melissa said.
This article originally appeared earlier this year. It has been updated.
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