Good People Doing Good Things — Rescuers

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Good people doing good things, Social commentary

Today’s good people are everyday people who just happened to be in the right place at the right time … and jumped in to help someone with a disability, likely saving that person’s life.

Jake Manna was installing solar panels in Buttermilk Bay in Plymouth, Massachusetts, when he heard that a 5-year-old girl with autism was missing in the neighborhood. Though he was unfamiliar with the area, Manna immediately climbed down from the roof where he was working and joined in the search. Heading down a rural path to a nearby stream, he discovered a diaper and a T-shirt.

Thinking the girl was close by, Manna walked along the stream to a marsh, where he found the young girl wading in water up to her waist.  Though Manna tried to convince her to get out of the water, the girl continued to wade, according to police. Fortunately, Manna was able to pick the girl up and carry her safely over his shoulder out of the water.  According to a spokesperson for the Plymouth Police Department …

“If he didn’t pick that path and see the missing clothing, we hate to think about what the outcome would have been.”

On Thursday, Jake met with Plymouth police officers Chief Dana Flynn and Captain LeBretton to receive a certificate and Command Coin for his heroic deed. In a post shared to Facebook, they called him the “nicest, most unassuming young man that one could meet.”

The moment he heard the Silver Alert, Macario “Cario” Chism was determined to find the grandmother who’d gone missing at around 3 a.m. the night before.  It was early in the morning, and the temperature in Caruthersville, Missouri was just 16 degrees Fahrenheit. Cario works as a sanitation worker for Waste Pro USA. He was on his rounds when he stopped into a convenience store and learned that 82-year-old Thelma Bates was missing.

Thelma suffers from dementia. She’d wandered out of her home in the wee hours and was completely unprepared for cold weather. She wasn’t even wearing shoes!

“I was worried sick,” said Thelma’s oldest daughter, Marian Bates.

Cario felt strongly that he needed to find Thelma. He’d felt helpless when he lost his own grandmother, so he felt compelled to make sure this stranger made it home to her own family. He ran out of the store and hopped in his truck, joining the community search party of first responders and everyday citizens in the rescue mission.

As he drove through the familiar streets, Cario kept his eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. It didn’t take long before he spotted it: The door to a work shed swinging open in the wind. Inside, he caught a glimpse of Thelma on the floor of the shed.

Leaping from his truck, Cario rushed to Thelma’s side and scooped her up in his arms. His truck’s security camera captured the moment when he gently placed her inside the cab, arranging her so she could lie down on the seat. Then, he covered up her frozen feet before honking his horn to get the attention of the search and rescue team.

Thelma was taken to the hospital and checked out. Incredibly, she was unharmed after spending several hours out in the freezing cold!  According to her daughter …

“Blood pressure was fine. Vital signs were fine. There was nothing wrong with her.”

Those involved say her condition is nothing short of a miracle, and none of it would be possible without Cario!  A few weeks after the rescue, Cario was surprised by a local news channel who presented him with $408 as part of their Gr8 Acts of Kindness campaign. He was able to meet Thelma and her grateful family, too. Renee said they can’t thank him enough for making the effort to find their loved one, and for caring for her so tenderly until help arrived.

“If it were not for Cario, we would be putting flowers on my mother’s grave today… if it wasn’t for Cario.”

16 thoughts on “Good People Doing Good Things — Rescuers”

  1. Thank you, Jill for these stories. They are incredibly inspiring but, more important, restore at least some of my faith in humanity! In the world as it is today, it’s easy to forget that there are truly loving, altruistic people out there!

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    • And that is why I keep on doing this every Wednesday … more than ever, we need to be reminded that there ARE good people out there. The reason we don’t hear as much about them is that they aren’t tooting their own horns, but rather going quietly about the business of being good people! I’m glad you found a bit of hope in this post … it’s what it’s all about!

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    • Indeed, the young and the old. My late mother-in-law used to say that she was entering her 2nd childhood when she forgot something simple, and ultimately she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. But I digress … yes, I’m heartened by the fact that there are people who don’t think twice when someone is in need, but just jump in to help.

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  3. Two wonderful stories with a happy ending. It’s always sad to read about missing people and for me, especially distressing when it’s a young child or an elderly person.

    A few weeks ago, a boy with autism in our province area went missing and the ending of the story was a sad one. I couldn’t help but think of him and his parents when I read your post.

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    • I think that with the state of the world today, it’s more important than ever to remember that there ARE good people in this world.

      Oh how tragic that the little boy with autism wasn’t found in time! 😢

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    • It is exactly this … comments like this … that keep me inspired to keep on doing good people posts! Thank you, David … I was sitting her with a frown on my face, and your comment turned it into a smile! 😊
      Cwtch

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  7. Two stories with a wonderful happy ending, and very encouraging helpers. The worl is not as bad as we normally think. We only have to have a closer look, to see the light. Thanks for sharing, Jill! Enjoy your day! Don’t forget to drink enough! xx Michael

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    • I think that all people are some combination of good and not-so-good … none of us will do the ‘right thing’ every single time. And I think that most people are more good than bad. Unfortunately, though, most of the people who rise to power are not the good ones, the ones whose main desire is to make the world a better place. Instead, those who rise to power do so because their main desire is to make their own bank accounts bigger and/or to feed their very large egos. And that is why it does seem that the world is in dire straits. It’s helpful to know that among the average people, most are good people, but … it doesn’t solve the problem that the fate of us all is in the hands of a few greedy, arrogant people. Sigh. No worries, Michael … I keep a bottle of water by my side at all times! I might wish it were a bottle of wine, but … water will do! 😉 xx

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