Best of CraigsList

So, the "Best of..." on CL is usually filled with goofy crap about people selling toilets they claim Elvis squatted on, etc. Every once in a while, one pops up that really just tugs at the heartstrings. Today was one of those... here it is and, Tim, here's to a speedy recovery and your decency to thank the folks who helped you. We should all show such gratitude...

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I Really Need To Thank These Strangers

Ok, so people often ask, where are the good kind people anymore?

Driving on Mt.Rose Hwy, and serving our communties is where! So I'm coming home to Reno on my motorcycle Saturday Evening after a short ride up to the
top and back down cuz it was too smokey up there, somewhere around 8pm I think? Anyways... Near the bottom, I hit some oil, gravel, not sure what... but
even as an experienced rider for some 30+ years, made my bike wobble so bad, I eventually lost control after doing everything I could try to do to keep
it up. From what I hear, might have even hit a guard rail at some point during the crash, no memory so not sure, all I do know is next thing I'm on the
pavement in a ton of pain. Rolling in the road I think...

Stranger #1 -
Then, there was a hand... holding mine, comforting me thru my gloves... Kept hearing a voice that I think was female telling me "everything was gonna be
ok" and "help is on the way". Couldn't really open my eyes much, that's why I'm not sure if it was male or female, but it didn't really matter at that
point, ya know? I just know 'till the day I die, I will forever remember how comforting it felt to know that "if" I was gonna die then, someone was gonna
be holding my hand while it happened and I would not die alone on some road tasting asphalt.

You have no idea what that meant to me, still does, and always will. You probably also have no idea how much gratitude I would like to express to you for
the comfort you gave me, a complete stranger, when I really, REALLY needed it. I just remember your hand, rubbing mine and your soft, kind, compassionate
words letting me know, someone cared. You didn't just drive by, you took time out of your Holiday weekend to help me - some fat ass biker guy that some
here on CL wish we would all crash and die.

Stranger #2
No clue who this was either, but someone called police/ambulance, etc. super quick and there they were, hot on the spot within minutes. (felt like minutes
to me anyways, damn quick!), can't thank you enough and damn glad ya had signal...hahaha!

Stranger #3
Again, same as the others, no idea who you were, but I heard someone else say something I think about removing my helmet. In my mind I was thinking please,
please don't do that, but I couldn't say it. But you could and did, you spoke up and advised against it. Damn I am glad there are people like you who know
better and again, my sincere appreciation and grattitude to you as well.

Strangers #4, 5, 6, 7, 8, etc..
To all the police firemen/women, ambulance drivers, person in the back of the ambulance.. to all of you emergency responder type people who showed up who
did whatever it was you had been trained to do, and loaded me on some kind of back board or something I think, and then put my big ol' self in the ambulance
and got me to Renown so quickly - my most humble thanks and appreciation as well. I know you were "just doing your jobs", but damn you do them well! You
will NEVER hear me bitch about your pay raises or what it costs for the absolute QUALITY services you provide our community! I do know of one policeman
or hwy patrolmen who I think arranged to have my bike towed and visited me in the ER letting me know it's condition and where it had been towed to, cuz
he put his badge number on my insurance paper, as I get better in the next few days I would like to find you and thank you in person since I have a clue
on maybe how to find you from the badge #. You also gathered my personal belongings I had on the bike that would have been stolen for sure. (cam corder,
etc..) Yes, I know, small things to worry about in that moment, but you made sure I didn't have to, again, thank you for going out of your way for my needs.

To all the Dr.s, Nurses, and whoever else was working in that ER room, my eternal thanks and grattitude as well. Man I was hurting, them ribs are a bitch
when smashed, but you folks all again, did what you were trained to do in the finest proffesional manner (even on the embarssing stuff) and I just knew
from all your demeanors, I was gonna be ok.

I am sure there are some typos and mis-spellings in this post, forgive me as i am on some pretty strong pills for pain, but i just got to my computer and
wanted to get these thank yous out as soon as possible. All of you people just really have no clue what your kindness and compassion meant, and means to
me even now.I would like to let you all know, that from your kindess, skills and so on... I'm going to be ok. Could have been a lot worse, but thanks to
good people like you, a damn fine helmet and a little luck, both I and the bike are fixable.

If there is any chance of any of you "unknowns" letting me know who you are, I would greatly like to thank you all in person, if that's not your style,
I respect that and just know you meant alot to one hurting, scared guy, yeah... I was scared I'll admitt to it no problem!

Last and not forgotten in any way, once I was admitted to the 3rd floor, all the Nurses, CNA's, Orderlies, people waking me up every few hours to check
my vitals and stuff, I also sincerely thank you, but since I know how to re-find you all, i will be seeing you again in person to thank you properly, especially
Melissa, a nurse or CNA not sure, but one awesome lady I did not have enough time to thank properly today as I left! I really wish I could have stayed
and healed longer as today really ended up hurting, but you know why I had to leave. You friggin ROCK!

Sincerely,
Tim H.