Cancer patient Clarence Blackmon stayed at the hospital for six months, but returning home was not at all a relief. He arrived seeing an empty fridge and cupboards.
Hungry and desperate for somebody to buy him food because he did not feel well at the time, the 81-year-old man from North Carolina called 911 for help.
He asked the operator, Marilyn Hinson, if someone could bring him cans of beans and beets, a head of cabbage, popcorn, a soft drink and tomato juice.
"I can't do anything. I can't go anywhere," Blackmon told Hinson, adding that he would appreciate any help that the operator could offer. "I can't get out of my damn chair."
The dispatcher then decided to take matters into her own hands. After asking permission from her supervisor, Hinson bought food for the old man.
An hour and a half later, Hinson showed up on Blackmon's door. She did not only bring him some groceries. She also made ham sandwiches that he could eat later. Hinson related that she had been hungry and that she couldn't also stand for anybody to be hungry.
Hinson's help was just the beginning. Within 24 hours, Blackmon received so many donations that he already wanted the food sent to the Salvation Army so these could also help others.
Blackmon will now even have a home health nurse who will monitor him twice weekly, but Hinson still handed her number to the old man in case he needed to call her for anything.
Blackmon described what happened to him as a blessing, saying it was like a miracle and that God answered his prayers. He said that people keep bringing food. His cupboards are now so full that it would take him more than a year before he can consume everything that is in his kitchen. He said he has never had such prosperity in his life.
"They keep bringing it in by the armloads. My cupboards are full. I've never had such prosperity," Blackmon said. "Simply, these are wonderful gifts. If I tried to consume all that's in my kitchen right now, what's in my cupboards, it would take me over a year!"
The old man had a stroke about a year and a half earlier. He said that 911 operators helped save his life. Thanks to another 911 operator, Blackmon will not have to worry about getting hungry now.
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