When we think of inmates, we often think of the worst traits in people. We imagine violence, drug use, harassment, and more. It is easy to forget that criminals are people, too. One jail guard always tries to remember that he is dealing with other human beings, and his good karma has come back to him tenfold.
Gary Grimm was a jail guard in Weatherford, Texas. He had been working that job for over 20 years, and he had gained some valuable insights along the way. One rule he always lived by was to treat the inmates how he would want to be treated.
“”I don’t care if they’re a drug user, hot check writer, or child molester. They’re still a human being,” Grimm told USA Today. “I don’t have to like what they did, but it’s not my position to be the judge and jury.”
This fair treatments came back to help him when Grimm experienced an unforeseen health issue. One day he was standing as the sole guard of eight men. Suddenly he realized something was terribly wrong.
The guard was having a heart attack. At first, the men simply watched from behind bars. “They thought I was kidding,” Grimm later explained. “I wasn’t.”
The man fell to the floor. He was unconscious and he had no pulse. The inmates knew he would die if he didn’t get help, so they worked together to get someone’s attention.
They shouted and banged on the walls. This noise finally caught the attention of deputies from the courtroom, who quickly got the guard medical help.
Grimm was astounded at the compassion these inmates demonstrated. “Instead of overtaking me and taking my gun, and killing me or taking a hostage and escaping, they looked at me as a human being,” he said.
Grimm never got a chance to thank his rescuers because they were all transported to different facilities while he healed. He has since retired for medical reasons, but he is happy to show his gratitude for these men who saved his life.
The man is now awaiting surgery to have a Left Ventrical Assistance Device installed, and after six months he will try for a heart transplant. You can help to cover his medical costs on his GoFundMe page.
This act of kindness is definitely not one the jail guard expected, but it was a product of the compassion he himself had shown over the years. This story is proof that a little bit of kindness goes a long way.
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