“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.” – Eudora Welty, author

Sometimes a picture can be a reminder of a single instant that changed your life, for good or bad.

For one family their most terrifying moment was captured on film more than 45 years ago.

In the single black and white photo, a firefighter, clearly exhausted, holds two children – a 9-year-old girl clings to his left shoulder, while a 3-year-old boy is carried in his right arm. As they are exiting the front door, you see another firefighter running back into the burning home.

This moment of terror, as well as hope, was captured by a Boston Globe photographer, George Rizer. The fire had rushed through the Fox family home on Dec. 26th, 1978.

Inside were Sylvia Fox’s two children, Lisa, 9, and Umar, 3. The single mom had been at work at a daycare, while Lisa was at home watching her younger brother.

The image that photographer George Rizer captured that day was one that the children, now adults, always recalled. And having never had a chance to thank the firefighter that had saved their lives, Sylvia and Umar (Lisa was sick and couldn’t make the reunion), wanted the chance to meet him after all these years.

Silvia Fox met retired firefighter Joseph Gilmore, who saved from a fire in Dec. 26, 1978. Photo by David L. Ryan

Umar said he’d always wanted to meet the man who saved him and his sister that day. So, a few months back, he had a friend help him locate Boston firefighter Joseph Gilmore on social media.

Sylvia surrounded Gilmore with balloons that had ‘Thank you’ printed on them, and then grabbed him in a big hug.

“Oh my God, you saved my kids,” she told Gilmore, who is now retired from the fire department.

I’ve been waiting 45 years to say thank you.”

A few moments later, Umar walked into the room to laughter.

Gilmore couldn’t help but laugh as he told Umar that he “wouldn’t want to pick you up now, buddy,” before hugging the now-grown man.

The modest Gilmore doesn’t believe he did anything special that day. After he put the children in an ambulance outside the burning home, the firefighter did his job as he always did – re-entering the home and fighting the fire.

But the Fox family disagrees. Umar said that because Gilmore saved his life all those years ago, he had been able to go on and save other lives himself. As a teenager, Umar rescued a drowning child and while working as a recovery coach, he was able to stop two people from committing suicide.

What you did, in turn, saved other people’s lives and brought more into the world,” Umar said

Umar said he is now a father of three, as well as stepfather of two. He also drives a school bus and is responsible for about 65 children, ranging in age from young to teen each day, Umar said. His sister, Lisa, was also a parent, having grown children who were living happy lives.

Umar Fox and retired Boston firefighter Joseph Gilmore playfully attempted to recreate the pose in George Rizer’s photograph of the 1978 rescue. Photo by David L. Ryan

George Rizer, the photographer who captured that moment so long ago, was there for the reunion. He brought copies of the photo for the Fox family and Gilmore to keep.

He said while covering fires was a typical part of his day, this one was different.

“The worst thing you can hear on the police scanner or fire scanner on the way to any event is, ‘children trapped,’” he said. You don’t want to hear that, but if you get there, you want to [see] them, God willing, be rescued like this. . . . We go to bad stuff looking for happy endings, hopefully,” Rizer said.

Later, standing with the Foxes, Gilmore said he was happy that they could all be there together.

“Forty-five years after this incident, who would think we will all still be here to be able to talk about it?” he said.

As they parted, Silvia had one final message to Gilmore, who she said was too humble. “You didn’t just do your job, you did it well.”

Watch below for a look at this amazing reunion!

Sources: People | Boston Globe