Raheem Cooper was making his usual UPS deliveries in Valdosta, Ga., when something unusual caught his attention. Groceries were scattered across a driveway, and as Cooper slowed his truck to investigate, he noticed an elderly woman lying near her car.

Worried, Cooper immediately pulled over and rushed to her side. The woman, Marie Coble, 78, was bleeding and unable to speak after suffering a fall. “The woman was lying on her stomach, and she was bleeding from her fall,” Cooper, 30, said.

Her eyes were open, but she couldn’t speak, and she couldn’t get up,” he said.

Acting quickly, Cooper called 911 and then grabbed a bottle of water from his truck to help cool her off. The heat was so bad it had already warmed a carton of milk that had fallen from her groceries, which paramedics said meant she had likely been lying there for a while.

Raheem Cooper visits with Marie Coble. Photo courtesy of Kayla Cochran

Paramedics soon arrived and rushed Coble to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a brain bleed from hitting her head on the pavement. Cooper’s quick actions, doctors and her family said, had saved her life. Nurses contacted Coble’s granddaughter, Kayla Cochran, 33, who lived 2½ hours away. Cochran learned that her grandmother’s condition was critical but slowly improving. “They said if nobody had helped her, she would have died,” she said.

During a hospital visit, Cochran found a UPS delivery slip with Cooper’s name and number written on it. He had left it in case the family needed to reach him. Cochran wasted no time calling to thank him for saving her grandmother.

“I told him he was an angel to our family and that he could visit — that my grandmother would like to see him,” she said. Cooper, who had felt an immediate connection with Coble, accepted the invitation. When he visited the hospital, Coble’s face lit up with joy.

She remembered him and gave him a hug,” Cochran said. “She knew he saved her life.”

What started as a heroic moment soon blossomed into a beautiful friendship. Cooper began visiting Coble regularly, often bringing along her favorite snack, Twinkies. Their bond grew stronger, and Cooper felt a special connection with Coble, likening her to his own grandmother.

“I feel now like she’s my grandmother,” Cooper said. Six weeks later, Coble suffered a medical setback that required emergency surgery. But throughout her recovery, Cooper continued his visits, bringing his mother and young daughter along to meet Coble.

Raheem Cooper was awarded by UPS for his actions. Photo courtesy of Cooper

To help cover her medical bills, Cooper also started a GoFundMe account, raising about $3,800 for her care. UPS soon learned about Cooper’s good deed and honored him with a luncheon and special recognition, including a letter from UPS’s CEO, Carol B. Tomé, and a plaque for going above and beyond his duties.

Though he appreciates the attention, Cooper said he couldn’t imagine not helping. “I was just doing my job that day,” he said. “But I give all the glory to God because if it wasn’t for Him, I wouldn’t have been there. I guess it was meant to be.” As for Coble and her family, they’ve gained a lifelong friend. “He brings her Twinkies, sits with her, and genuinely cares,” Cochran said. “We call him Angel Raheem Cooper.”

Sources: Washington Post | WALB