Life-Saving Act Won’t Be Forgotten
Dear Ann Landers: A woman named Carrie Schneider wrote the enclosed letter to the editor, which I read in The Repository in Canton, Ohio. It was extremely moving and helped me realize how great American teenagers are and how rarely they get the credit they deserve. I hope you will print this so they can get some positive publicity for a change. - Longtime Reader in Ohio
Dear Ohio: Teenagers today seem to be getting a lot of bad press. I’m pleased to print something positive. It would be wonderful if those teenagers saw this letter and contacted Carrie Schneider. I hope she’ll let me know if it happens. Here’s the letter to the editor:
“A few days ago, I experienced an incredible act of kindness from two teenagers. I was visiting Canton, and while driving with my triplet babies, my car was hit from the side. I was thrown out and was lying on the road, nearly unconscious, with no idea if my babies were dead or alive.
“The person who had smashed my car was already long gone, and while many people were crowding around to stare, no one was doing anything. Then, out of nowhere, two teenagers were at my side - Christina Shorie and Shawn Carey. Christina immediately called 911 from her cellular phone, and they instructed her to keep me awake and talking. Shawn talked to me, and at that time, Christina noticed the babies and got them out of the car. Not half a minute later, the car went up in flames.
“The only thing I know about the two is that Christina goes to a local high school and Shawn was visiting from New York City. They did everything in their power to make sure that I and my babies survived. I will be forever grateful to them. I owe them my life, not to mention the lives of my precious children.
“Thank God they stopped at the accident because if they hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here today.” - Carrie Schneider, Calif.”
Dear Ann Landers: I am writing about a recent letter in your column concerning a brother who refused to reconcile with his sister in spite of her efforts to extend the olive branch. I noted with interest that he is a preacher. What does he preach about? - M.S.C. in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Dear M.S.C.: I don’t have the faintest idea. Maybe a member of his congregation who knows about the situation will write and tell us.
Dear Readers: Who among us has not been touched by a life-threatening illness, whether our own or that of a family member or close friend? Sickness and the thought of death take us to life’s darkest corners. It is not easy to live in such a space. No one should have to face it alone.
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I would not have believed there could be hope or comfort in a book dealing with cancer and AIDS, but I was wrong. If you or someone you care about is struggling with either of these illnesses, I urge you to get this book. The title is “The Measure of Our Days.” The publisher is Viking. The price, $23.95. It could be the best investment you will ever make.