On May 5th, in Boynton Beach, Florida, at the busy intersection of Congress Avenue and Woolbright Road, in the middle of rush hour, 63 year-old Laurie Rabyor felt it coming on, and she tried to pull over.
But it was too late.
Laurie had been fasting for a colonoscopy, and in combination with her blood pressure medications, she passed out before she could do so or turn off the ignition to her car.
“When I started to pull in is when I went out and started to convulse and hit the curb and went, so no, I didn’t wake up till the next day.”
And what came next was the best of what and who we are.
It started with but one fast acting bystander, Laurie’s co-worker and fellow seamstress at City Shade Company, a manufacturer of custom shades, Jannette Rivera.
“They all just came together to help a little old lady, me.
I appreciate it so, so much, you don’t even know and my children love you, they just love you because you helped their mom.”
Said Jannette, “I didn’t think about my life, you know. I just saw her going to the other car, and the other car was going to hit her, and I am like, ‘Oh no. She’s going to get hurt.’ But I tried to do my best.”
Following Jannette’s lead were Juan Chavez, Jr., Michael Edelstein, David Formica, DaVida Peele, Marko Bartolone and Muriel Vaughns, who were able to stop the vehicle from moving.
There were a few more good people, but they couldn’t be easily identified and located.
Michael Edelstein tried to break a window with his fist, but they couldn’t get in until DaVida grabbed a dumbbell from her own car and handed it to David Formica to break a rear window.
Once they gained entry, they all waited for the paramedics whilst Robin Fox, a nurse, came over to care for Laurie in the meantime.
Juan Chavez Jr., a U.S. Army staff sergeant, stepped in to help after he saw Jannette running after the car.
He got in front of the car to help stop it, went back across the intersection to get his car and then returned.
“It’s amazing,” he added, “how everyone came together to help someone that was in need without even knowing the person.”
At least 20 other people helped as well by directing traffic.
They were all honored by the city with a celebration at the Boynton Beach Police Department.
Besides Laurie and Jannette, they were all once strangers to each other.
Now they have 8 dreamy days and nights to get to know each other better, as they were all awarded and given a cruise to the Caribbean with $2000 each in their pockets as a way for the city to thank them for being simply caring and thoughtful and awesome citizens and neighbors.
Though it’s not necessary to be so recognized and rewarded for what they did without such expectations…… a very groovy cherry to put on the top of a job well done.
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