Occasionally I actually find a bit of good news and like to pass it on. It helps me maintain some semblance of balance. But this story really shocked me, because it happened in New York City.
You know the image the world has of the typical New Yorker — crude, tough, unfeeling, hates strangers (and everyone else). Jason Kroft, a Canadian, has a different viewpoint.
During a visit from Toronto on Oct. 5, Kroft, 40, was sightseeing with his family in Manhattan. As the family approached the corner of 6th Avenue and 45th Street, Kroft grabbed his heart and fell to his knees, having suffered a serious heart attack.
As Kroft turned blue a stranger appeared and started performing CPR. He continued until the ambulance arrived about 10 minutes later. As the family and medics loaded Jason into the vehicle, the stranger disappeared back into the crowd before family members could thank him.
Kroft, who received a new kidney 12 years ago, made it through the open-heart surgery and is now recovering. Although the family want to reach out to the Good Samaritan who saved Jason’s life and thank him personally, Jason’s brother suspects the man won’t come forward.
“We would definitely like to find the guy and thank him, but if he doesn’t want to be identified, we don’t want to force him. I hope all the media around this reaches him and he knows how much we appreciate him,” Ryan Kroft said.
Because Kroft would have died if CPR hadn’t been started within four minutes of his heart attack, the Kroft family is now spreading the word. Everyone needs to learn CPR. After all, there might not be a kind stranger handy when your loved one needs help.
Sources: ABC News, New York Post
