Unsung Heroes

Unsung Heroes: Essential workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic

April 30, 2020 By Ashlea Kosikowski

WILMINGTON, NC (FOX WILMINGTON) – When we face a crisis, unsung heroes rise to the challenge.

The clerks and those who stock shelves at grocery stores, kitchen staff in restaurants, delivery drivers, healthcare workers and first responders — their work is getting us through the coronavirus pandemic.

In some cases, they have the personal protective equipment they need; in other cases, they do not due to shortages.

Still, they are there at their jobs.

They make sure we have what we need to stay at home. If we fall ill, they are there to treat us.

Since this crisis hit North Carolina, members of our community found ways to say thank you to our essential workers.

From a man standing at a busy intersection holding a sign that states, “I love Wilmington” to parades for healthcare workers, people are showing their appreciation.

There are signs of hope and encouragement throughout the community.

Letters that spell out “heroes work here” greeted doctors, nurses, staff and custodians who work at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

Police and firefighters put on a parade for workers at Novant Health in Brunswick County, where one worker said, “I don’t look at myself as a hero and I think most of the staff and frontline team would say that they don’t feel like heroes. This is what we do.”

We beg to differ.

Heroes are among us.

We see you.

And we want to say thank you.

Unsung Heroes: Victim of fiery crash rescued with just seconds to spare

March 27, 2020 By Fox Wilmington

LAKE WACCAMAW (WSFX) – A woman who survived a fiery crash said there are no words that can express her gratitude for the heroes who saved her life.

Alice Patrick crashed her car along Chauncey Town Road in Lake Waccamaw on Feb. 10.

Mamie Bowen was on her way to the store when she saw Patrick’s car in a ditch.

She pulled over and got out to help the two men who were already working to pull Patrick from the car, which started to fill with smoke.

“The smoke was so dark, I begin to cough because it was taking my breath too but there was a life in there that needed saving,” said Bowen. “I got in there and her head was dropped and she was just moaning, so I knew we had to get her out. When I was inside the car, you could look at the dashboard and see the flames. The front of the car was already burning so we just knew we had to hurry and get her out because the whole car was about to be in flames and blow up.”

Patrick was pinned in the car.

Her rescuers managed to get her out of the vehicle just in time.

Bowen said as soon as the three carried her across the street, the flames engulfed the car.

“No sooner did we take her across the road that it was in flames,” Bowen said.

As they waited for first responders, Cordovian McMillian, who was passing by, stopped to pray over Patrick.

“As I seen the car in flames, I saw people on the opposite side of the road that someone on the car on the ground at that point I felt like a heaviness in my heart that I need to stop and pray for this lady,” he said.

The prayer and the rescue, Bowen later realized, were all caught on her cellphone camera.

She shared the video and wrote about the experience on social media.

Watching the video, she knows Patrick would not have survived without their help.

Bowen believes it was divine intervention that brought them here.

“God put us in the right place,” she said.

Patrick, who is still recovering from her injuries, shares that belief.

“There are no words that express how much love I have for them; there will never be a way I can do or say enough to let them know how I feel,” she wrote about her rescuers. “When I recover, I want to go see them and talk about that awful day. I cry every time I watch the video. The Lord was there by me all the way; so now once I can get healed I need to find out what he saved me for that day. I know he has a plan in store for me to do. Keep me in mind because I will be busy finding his plan.”

Patrick and Bowen have been in touch through Facebook.

Bowen hopes to visit Patrick once the coronavirus outbreak ends and it is safe for her to do so.

Unsung Hero: Police officer goes above and beyond for motorcycle accident victim who lost lower leg in crash

January 30, 2020 By Fox Wilmington

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WSFX) – An unsung hero helped an accident victim after his life changed in an instant.

Blake Holmes, 27, was on a motorcycle when a driver slammed into his bike.

“I have a flash of an image,” he said. “I remembered it looked like a white car hit me and it was just really hard jolt.”

The next thing Holmes remembers is when he woke up in the hospital. He was on the surgery table and intubated.

Holmes broke several bones, including his ankle, ribs and back.

“I was in so much pain I couldn’t move,” he said.

This Spartan runner, who lived a very active lifestyle, faced a difficult diagnosis.

“When the doctor came in and told me that my leg was broken really badly and I was in pretty bad shape, he said, ‘I just want to prepare you mentally for the possibility that you may have to get your leg removed and that may be the best option for you.’ When he told me that I was like, alright, I know this is really bad,” Holmes recalled.

In the end, because of the risk of infection, the choice was his leg or his life.

He had eight surgeries in less than a month.

The accident was Nov. 9, 2019. He did not get out of his hospital bed until Dec. 1.

Wilmington Police Officer Eric Lippert, who responded to the accident, kept trying to see him in the hospital. But, every time he visited, Holmes was getting another operation.

“It took me 10 days and I walk into this guy‘s hospital room and he has a smile on his face,” Lippert said.

While Blake was healing, unknown to Holmes, Lippert worked to help him.

“Knowing the way the criminal justice system can sometimes fall short, I knew that Blake was going to be left holding a lot of the financial responsibility himself,” he said.

According to police, the driver who hit Holmes and caused the accident, Tirik Johnson-Morse, was uninsured. His license was revoked and his vehicle registration was expired, according to Lippert.

“He’s not looking at jail time. At the worst he will probably get some probation,” Lippert said.

This left Holmes with mounting medical bills.

To make things easier for Holmes when he returned home, Lippert went above and beyond.

On his day off, he built a wheelchair ramp for Holmes with wood donated by Home Depot.

“If he were to show up in a wheelchair, how is he going to get up that front steps?” Lippert asked himself. “If it helped him get into his own house, to sleep in his own bed, to see his cat for the first time in a month that’s what it’s all about.”

On his day off, Lippert built a wheelchair ramp for Holmes with wood donated by Home Depot. (Source: WSFX)

Lippert said he tries to live by words of President Abraham Lincoln.

“I’m a history buff,” Lippert said. “I like Abraham Lincoln and at some point, during his presidency, he was asked a question about his religion and he said something to the effect of, ‘When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.’ I like that. So, you do something good for somebody, it makes you feel good. It’s that simple.

The act of kindness made Holmes feel good.

“I definitely could not have gotten into my home without it,” he said. “It’s good to see, with all the things happening nowadays with relationships between the community and police officers, there are good police officers out there. There are good people out there.”

Blake hopes to run Spartan races again and climb mountains.

He’s hoping to get a prosthetic that allows him to do that.

But those are expensive and are not always covered by insurance, so friends already organized fundraisers to help him, including this online donation drive: https://www.gofundme.com/f/look-twice-save-a-life-benefit-for-blake

Do you know anyone who has gone above and beyond the call of duty? Nominate them for our next Unsung Hero segment by emailing newsroom@foxwilmington.com.

Unsung Heroes

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