Sometimes, dialing the wrong number can actually be a blessing in itself. When one woman called Jimmy John’s, a popular sandwich shop, instead of her brother’s social worker, she never expected the response that she got. It turns out that there are some pretty amazing people out there in this world!
20. Army Veteran
Greg Holeman, 48, is an army veteran that found himself in a lot of pain. In order to fix the problem, Greg would have to undergo spinal fusion surgery. However, this was especially risky considering the fact that Greg suffers from congestive heart failure.
19. His Sister
Since the surgery would be pretty invasive, Greg’s sister, Lisa Nagengast, decided to fly in to Nebraska from Florida in order to be by her brother’s side. She was there at the hospital while her brother underwent the surgery.
18. Going Well
Finally, Greg was out of surgery and he was doing well. Lisa was relieved and she was told that Greg would just need some aftercare for when he would be sent back home. However, Greg would be sent home health workers that would be looking after him.
17. Feeling Relieved
Lisa felt relieved that her brother’s surgery had gone well and that he was going to be taken care of after. Two days after his surgery, Greg was released from the hospital and allowed to go back home. Lisa felt confident being able to fly back home at this point knowing that he would have a home attendant around.
16. Flying Back
Lisa made sure that Greg was situated back home and then she booked a flight back home to Tampa, Florida. She landed safely back in Tampa when she checked her voicemail and saw that it was full of messages from her brother. She was immediately panicked…
15. Checking Her Voicemail
Lisa was worried sick when she saw that her voicemail was filled to the brim with messages from her brother. She began to immediately fear the worst. In the voicemails her brother was in a panic complaining about the immense amount of pain that he was in.
14. In Pain
It seems that Greg had called Lisa in a complete panic. The incision was leaking out fluids and his leg had gone completely numb. To make things worse, the home health workers had not arrived yet and John was all by himself throughout this ordeal.
13. Out Of Options
Greg didn’t have enough money for a cab to take him to the hospital and there were no available Uber drivers in the area. He also didn’t want to call an ambulance as that would accrue a huge expense that wasn’t covered by the VA. “I’m going to drive myself to the hospital,” Holeman said in the voicemail.
12. Warning Him
Lisa immediately called her brother back and warned him not to drive himself to the hospital. Instead, she asked her brother for the name and number of his social worker. She said that she would call the social worker and send help for him.
11. Getting The Number
Lisa quickly wrote down the number that her brother gave her and dialed it. With so much background noise because of the airplane and airport, Lisa began to get disheveled in thought. The phone was immediately answered by a woman that she thought was her brother’s social worker, Pam.
10. Explaining The Situation
Since Lisa was pressed for time she quickly explained the situation to the woman on the other end of the phone line. She told them that her brother had no money for a cab and that an ambulance was out of the question and that he needed help fast! “Let me get my manager for you,” the voice on the other end said.
9. Jimmy John’s
“I assumed it was the social worker, Pam,” she explained on Facebook. “I told her who I was, why I was calling, gave her the whole story, and asked what can we do to get him to the hospital.” However, what Lisa didn’t realize was that she hadn’t called the social worker. Instead, she had called a Jimmy John’s restaurant in Columbus.
8. Manager
When the manager picked up, Nagengast repeated her story, adding, “I need you to help me. If you need me to pay for it, I will. We have to get this done.” The manager, Jason Voss, knew that something had to be done. Although he couldn’t leave the restaurant he called Jimmy John’s driver Zach Hillmer to talk to him about it.
7. Fellow Veteran
Hillmer, who also happens to be a veteran, called Lisa back and asked for all of her brother’s information. “At this point I was confused because this was a social worker, they should already have his information. I asked him if Pam had failed to give him the file or whatever had his information and he said “Umm, this is Jimmy Johns.” I said “You mean Jimmy John’s like the food place?” Lisa wrote on Facebook.
6. Helping Out
“Yeah, I had called Jimmy John’s restaurant. Most places would have probably said something like, ‘Gee, I’m really sorry about your brother, but we can’t help you.’ But (Zach), the delivery driver at Jimmy John’s, picked up my brother and took him to the emergency room to get the medical attention he needed.”
5. Always Time For People
“There is always time for people, especially people in need,” Jason says. “I had the resources, I had drivers, we weren’t super busy with deliveries, either. Zach was glad to help someone out.” Greg was able to make it safely to the hospital thanks to the Jimmy John’s staff!
4. Getting Treatment
Greg was able to get the treatment that he needed at the hospital and his sister says that he is on the road to recovery now. Lisa is eternally grateful to the staff at the restaurant for helping her and her brother out when they needed it most. In fact, she even wrote to the company’s corporate office.
3. Corporate Office
“They went totally above and beyond. You don’t see that anymore … Two complete strangers stood up and said they were willing to help, and that means a lot. There are not enough words to share to say how grateful I am to two individuals who went above and beyond their job description at Jimmy John’s,” Lisa wrote.
2. Amazing Situation
“In today’s political climate, everybody’s arguing with everybody, and we’re not actively listening to what anybody has to say,” she said. “To have two complete strangers listen to me and then decide to do something to fix it — it was amazing.”
1. Getting Better
Greg is back home doing better and dealing with less complications. Lisa is so happy for the “divine intervention” that occurred on that day. She has asked that everyone head out to the Jimmy John’s location in Columbus, NE to thank the two men who helped her brother out.