Carole Shepherd thanks the Observer for covering her story and reuniting her with the man who saved her life.
Dear Editor,
I apologize for being late in writing our thanks to all of you for covering my “Good Samaritan” story after suffering cardiac arrest on my daily walk Oct. 15, 2015. I have wanted to get this letter written so much earlier, but it is with the grace of God that I am here to be able to express how much appreciation I have for Emily Topper.
She is the most dedicated, most articulate and personable young woman I’ve met in a long time. She showed us so much respect when she interviewed me and my husband, and kept in touch with us during the whole time we were searching for our Good Samaritan. Without her excellent writing skills and and emotionally-charged story, we may have never met Jeff Phillips and his family, and his dog, Jay Paul.
I have had so many people call me and in tears tell me it was the most inspiring story they have read. The credit all goes to Emily Topper taking the time to sit and listen to my story of God’s miracle in my life, and then putting it in story form so that all who knew Jeff recognized he was the hero.
The second edition was unbelievable as she took both our stories and combined them into the meeting of both families, as we shared the day of Oct. 15 again and how God placed Jeff right in our path because of Jay Paul taking him that way on his walk. What better ending could it have been?
Emily, I hope, will be recognized publicly for her stories. Not only ours, but the weekly heartfelt, courageous and unfortunately sad endings she reports on each week. God has a purpose for her life and she is fulfilling it by being a fabulous reporter, a compassionate human being and a friend to all who meet her.
Thank you,
Tom and Carole Shepherd
