The good guys thread

[kuhio98]

10 News helps Bill Adams find his 'mystery Angel' on Facebook

Clearwater, Florida - A Clearwater man says he's alive, thanks to a complete stranger.

Last June, Bill Adams was up on a ladder cleaning out his gutters when all of a sudden:

"I fell backwards and hit my head."

Bill's heart had stopped beating.

"I had what is called 'sudden death syndrome," he explains.

Bill awoke hours later in a hospital bed, not knowing what exactly happened. His wife had seen the fall, but froze up. Then a stranger appeared, who started to perform CPR until paramedics arrived. As soon as they did, the Good Samaritan left.

She gave my wife a hug and said, 'Everything will be all right,' and that's all we saw of her," says Bill.

For six months, Bill searched for this woman, but no luck. So on Wednesday, we took part in the search and thanks to social media, an Angel really was looking over Bill.

Her name is Angelique Tyson, but goes by the name Angel for short. Angel happens to be a 10 News viewer and saw that we were searching for her on Facebook.

Bill and Angel spoke over the phone for the first time on Wednesday afternoon.

"I'm so thankful that you were there," Bill told Angel.

Bill says it's a miracle that we found her, but the real miracle is that Angel found Bill.

[kuhio98]

Good Samaritans, Airmen Save Family From Burning SUV In NH

SHERBORN (CBS) – David Sullivan, a Sherborn father, humbly thanked the man who saved his family’s life. “It’s only by the grace of God you guys were there it’s totally a miracle. I just want to thank you and whoever else was with you on that afternoon,” Sullivan said speaking with Chris Cronen on the phone. “It was a big teamwork effort,” Chris responds.

Chris says he was on his way home from a ski trip when he came upon a horrifying scene. A car tipped over on a New Hampshire highway. Chris says trapped inside was David Sullivan with his three kids along with three of their friends.

Chris who is a certified tactical medic for the federal government says he immediately jumped out of his car to help. When he looked inside he saw two boys stuck inside. “Crying and screaming it was pretty tough. I immediately yelled for help and here comes three Air Force guys running toward the scene,” Cronen said.

With the help of the Air Force men and two other good Samaritans they were able to get everyone out safely. “It’s just a miracle he came to after he pulled him out of the vehicle,” Cronen said.

David is recovering at home. “I got a concussion and shattered vertebrae, neck brace. Tell you what the kids are fine,” Sullivan said.

The accident remains under investigation, David says he wants to thank everyone in person who was involved in the rescue. “I am glad I was there able to help and even more glad that the civilians and Air Force guys were there to assist to help get boys out and you out,” Cronen said.

[kuhio98]

Man Wearing Superman Hoodie Rescues Baby from Burning Building

Move over, Man of Steel. There's a new superhero on the loose – and he's even a fan of your wardrobe.

Dallas resident Tori Phillips caught a baby dropped from a burning Dallas apartment complex Monday while coincidentally wearing a Superman hoodie, reports NBC 5 in Dallas/Fort Worth.

Phillips, who lost his own apartment in the four-alarm blaze, assisted a family trapped inside an upper floor frantically trying to escape with their baby.

"I [saw] this family on a patio trying to jump down and they had the baby, they did not want the baby to let go, and I came in and said, 'I'm right here, I can catch the baby.' And I was there for the right catch," he said, adding that another Good Samaritan helped the parents to safety.

When asked how it felt to return the baby to its parents on solid ground, Phillips replied with characteristic superhero modesty.

"It felt real good," he said. "They made me very humbled and made me cherish my little ones."

The experience also seemed to put Phillips's own apartment loss into perspective.

"I know little ones are more important than material things," he added.

[mon]

Just wanted to give a shout out to all Pet Talkers out there. With all the sad and horrible stuff that happens in the world and on the news it is SO nice to take a break and just check in and hear about peeps that simply love their pets and wanna share them with other folks. So, thanks people!!!! High fives!

[kuhio98]

Police officer stops to save life of distraught dog

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – She knew she had to stop. She knew she had to pay it forward.

Richmond Police officer Karen Spencer-Boyles is a dog lover, so when she spotted two dogs in the middle of Jeff Davis Highway Tuesday morning, she simply could not drive off.

One of the dogs was dead. It was hit by a car.

The other dog was scared and whimpering, refusing to leave its friend’s side.

A women who works nearby spotted Officer Spencer-Boyles and stopped to take a photo of what she called the officer’s act of kindness.

“A Richmond city police woman stopped because a dog was hit and his friend was beside him barking,” Michelle C. said. “She stopped and got him out of the road and soothed him.”

Carrington said the officer’s actions likely saved the dog’s life.

“For her to stop and take a moment of her time to show just a little compassion to an animal that obviously just lost his best friend goes to show us – there are some people out there that really do care,” Michelle said.

Officer Spencer-Boyles said she too could tell the dog was scared and she also feared it would get hit by a car if she did not act fast.

“You could just tell he was scared,” Spencer-Boyles said. “He just looked helpless. It’s kind of like if you had a friend and your friend had been hurt. He just stood by his friend.”

Thirteen years ago, while in the police academy, Spencer-Boyles got an English Cocker Spaniel named Tex. In 2009 her dog ran out into the road and was hit by a car.

A stranger saw what happened, stopped and helped to save the Spencer-Boyles’ pet.

Today the Richmond Police Officer paid it forward.

The surviving dog, who is being called Giusseppe, was collected by Richmond Animal Control and is at their office on Chamberlayne Ave. Animal Control believes Giusseppe has an owner because he is neutered and had a flea collar on.

The Animal Shelter said if the owner does not come to get Giusseppe within 10 days, he will be put up for adoption. You can contact them at (804) 646-5573.

Officer Spencer-Boyles urged pet owners to get their pets spayed or neutered.

“We see so many animals that are just roaming the streets, don’t have any families and don’t have anybody to take care of them,” she said.

[kuhio98]

Ana Jimenez-Hami Brings the Arts to Low-Income Kids

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Ana Jimenez-Hami's father, Freddy, never let her forget about the importance of helping those who weren't as fortunate as she.

"He'd always say, 'You have to learn to give back to others in need,' " recalls Jimenez-Hami, 52, who now lives in Irvine, Calif.

Two decades ago, when her father, mother and 13 others were murdered by gunmen during a robbery at Freddy's jewelry store, Jimenez-Hami's life was turned upside down.

Searching for some way to make sense of her devastating loss, she thought back to her father's words and they inspired her to create the Orange County Children's Therapeutic Arts Center, which uses the arts – be it painting, music or dance – to transform the lives of low-income children in crime-ravaged Santa Ana, Calif.

"When he died, his words about 'giving back to others' were the very first thing that came to my mind," she says. And she put the words into action: The organization she founded in 2000 has touched the lives of more than 15,000 children – often at no charge to their parents.

Martha Rivera was one of those struggling who found her way to Jimenez-Hami's center.

Rivera, who came from a troubled, impoverished family, wanted to learn to play piano, but staff members quickly discovered she was a natural musician, capable of playing numerous instruments.

"I want to cry when I tell her story," recalls Jimenez-Hami. "She was on the verge of becoming just another statistic – either ending up in a gang or getting pregnant."

With the help of music instructors – and academic tutors – Rivera, now 23, went from a D student to graduating as valedictorian of her high school. Recently, she earned a master's degree in psychology from Harvard.

"Dr. Ana's dedication to her community is second to none," says Rivera, who now manages the center's after-school arts programs.

"I am where I am today because of her guidance," she says. "She instilled in me the belief that education is the most important thing in my life."

Besides focusing on the arts, the center – with its 45 part-time instructors and five full-time administrators – has branched out into other programs that include job training and family wellness classes for stressed-out parents of disabled children, many of whom are students at the center.

"Studies have shown that they have a much higher rate of falling into depression," says Jimenez-Hami, who has a doctorate in educational psychology.

The arts, she insists, is much more than just teaching kids how to paint pretty pictures and strum the guitar.

"Unfortunately, we live in a society that doesn't value arts as much as sports," she says. "But the arts are food for the soul. They help make creative minds, and that's exactly what we need – creative minds – to make a better society."

Freddy would be proud.

[kuhio98]

Bruno the Police Dog Recovering After Being Shot In the Face

A police dog named Bruno is recovering after being shot during a parole check in Anaheim, Calif.

The 7-year-old German Shepherd had emergency surgery to remove a bullet from his lung and repair his jaw after a man began shooting at police officers on March 20. Bruno was injured after guiding officers to where Robert Moreno Jr., a known gang member, was hiding.

"The dog alerted that the suspect was hiding behind a trash can. As they went up, the suspect stood up and started shooting at the direction of the officers and purposely aimed at the dog, shooting the dog," Anaheim Police Lt. Tim Schmidt told CBS Los Angeles.

Bruno was shot in the jaw and the bullet exited his mouth and lodged in his chest, less than an inch from his heart.

"[He was shot] point blank, it was a horrific thing to have to watch. My entire world came tumbling down in the matter of a second," Bruno's partner, officer RJ Young, told ABC News. Bleeding profusely, the 6-year K9 veteran barely whimpered and returned to his partner's side. "He never made a sound."

A police escort cleared roads to rush the injured dog to an animal hospital where surgeons worked for three hours to remove part of his damaged lung and repaired his shattered jaw.

"He's doing extremely well for all he's been through," veterinarian Dr. Steve Dunbar told CBS. Bruno, who's expected to recover, will have to wear a cast around his jaw for the next two months and was on a feeding tube, but on Sunday he ate unassisted for the first time and also went on a short walk.

Officers have praised Bruno for saving their lives after he sniffed out the 21-year-old suspect, who was killed at the scene. "If Bruno weren't there, there's not a doubt in my mind that someone would have gotten hurt," Young said.

Bruno underwent a second surgery on his jaw and lung Friday at Yorba Regional Animal Hospital, during which surgeons removed his breathing tube and reattached the bottom portion of his tongue.

"The surgery went really well. Removing the tube from the lung was a big step forward," said Young, who's called the bond between him and Bruno "unexplainable." "I know we have more surgeries ahead of us to reconstruct the jaw, but today was a good day for us. I just want him to heal so I can bring home."

The Friends of the Anaheim Police K-9 Association is collecting donations to cover Bruno's medical care through their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/AnaheimK9friends