EMTs Moved to Tears After 'Recovering Addict' Pays Their $77 Bill at Breakfast
It was breakfast time at a bustling New Jersey restaurant, and a woman quietly watched as a group of emergency response technicians sat down and began to scarf down a hard-earned meal.
She was a recovering addict, and the sight of the first responders likely triggered a memory or two.
Seeing the uniformed medics could have been a reminder of a life that was hard to live — and even harder to leave.
Perhaps one of the men and women had saved her life when, at one or more times, it hung by a thread. The job of a first responder is often exhausting, thankless, and traumatic.
The mystery woman made a decision and motioned to the general manager for help. She wanted to buy breakfast for the group of hungry EMTs.
She paid the bill and left without a word. She did leave behind a note, and her words left the EMTs in tears.
“Paid, thank you for all you do!” the woman wrote on the ticket. “Have a great day!”
She signed her note, “Recovering Addict.”
Alyssa Golembeski, captain of the Toms River First Aid Squad in New Jersey, said the gesture left her humbled. She saved the note and pinned it to her office wall.
Golembeski said her group attempted to find out the mystery woman’s identity, but the IHOP general manager said the woman wanted to remain anonymous.
The EMT’s are still hopeful the woman might come forward, but they understand if she doesn’t.
So often, a paramedic treats a person just long enough to see them off to an ambulance or hospital. They rarely, if ever, find out the person’s fate.
So to receive a note from a person who was in active recovery was very encouraging to Golembeski and her team. It gives them hope that their work really does help people on their journey to health and wholeness.
The bill itself, Golembeski said, was fairly hefty for one person to cover. “EMTs do not eat light. We racked up a $77 bill,” she said.
After a long night shift, the thoughtful gesture really hit the spot for the group of EMTs, who were left in tears.
“It was the nicest thing anyone could have ever done for us,” Golembeski said.
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