So let it be written...
“Do everything in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:14)
Nice Bible verse, that. Christmas is a time when Christians worldwide celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, born into this world to die on the cross and defeat death so that, as the Good Book says, whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
In a broader sense, it has become a time of giving, sacrificing, and helping fellow people, in a nod to the Christ Child and three wise men who brought gifts but also to the spirit of giving which they exemplify.
Love doesn’t just happen at Christmastime; it happens year round, and in this issue we bring you some fine examples of people who’ve put it into practice.
One of my favourite local stories of the year was that of a series of passers-by who stopped to help a motorist in medical distress. Among these were Justin and Josh Drake.
Justin never imagined that on his own birthday he’d be helping to give the best gift of all — life— to someone else.
The 29-year-old Surrey man was returning home after enjoying his birthday dinner with his brother Josh, 23, in May when they saw a truck, with its driver’s side door open, sitting in the right lane of Highway 10 near 144th Street. A female jogger was on her phone, calling emergency 911 for the driver — a 66-year-old Delta man who was clutching at his chest.
The Surrey brothers, both trained in first aid, were among the bystanders and police officers who performed CPR on the distressed driver until an ambulance came to take him to hospital. It was a birthday the Drakes will never forget.
“Usually birthdays are for celebrating life coming into the world,” Justin said. “I guess this is a time where life decided to stay.”
Josh and an off-duty Surrey RCMP officer pulled the man out of the truck and laid him down on the grass beside the road while the jogger checked his airways.
A nurse also stopped and helped, as did an off-duty ER doctor who was still in his scrubs. More police arrived, and an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) was used numerous times before the ambulance took the patient away.
What a wonderful story of strangers, dare I say guardian angels, coming together to help save a life. And that, dear readers, happened in May which reminds us that while Christmas is a special time to celebrate giving, there are 364 other days to continue helping others.
So let it be done.
Tom Zytaruk is a staff writer with the Now. Email him at tom.zytaruk@thenownewspaper.com