By Gail Flaro
September 7, 2025 is a day our family will never forget.
Close to 4 o’clock that afternoon, our home phone rang. I answered it. On the other end was a police officer asking if I knew a John Flaro.
My heart dropped.
“Yes,” I said. “But are you sure it’s the John Flaro I know?”
The officer told me they had found my brother-in-law, John, unresponsive in his vehicle at the RBC bank on Third Street, and that we needed to get to the hospital immediately.
We rushed there, where our family gathered in shock and fear. We were brought into a quiet family room, and a doctor came to speak with us. John was still unresponsive. He had been placed on a ventilator in the Critical Care Unit, and the next few days would be crucial.
Those days felt endless.
On the third day, John regained consciousness, but he had no memory of what had happened. As he slowly began to recover, one question stayed with all of us: who had saved his life?
We didn’t know it yet, but at the very moment John’s life hung in the balance, a stranger had made a decision that would change everything.
That afternoon, Registered Nurse Laura Mitchell Therrien had stopped at a different RBC location, but despite the posted hours, the doors were locked. She decided to drive to the Third Street branch instead — a simple change in plans that would place her exactly where she was needed.
As she walked back toward her vehicle, she overheard someone asking, “Is he okay?”
Laura noticed an elderly couple standing beside a vehicle, clearly concerned. They explained that a man had been sitting inside when they entered the bank, and he was still sitting there when they came out. He wasn’t responding.
Laura felt something urge her to stop.
She approached the vehicle and quickly realized the severity of the situation. John was unresponsive. His colour was pale and grey. His breathing was abnormal, and within seconds, he had no pulse.
Without hesitation, she sprang into action.
Laura lifted John out of the vehicle and laid him on the ground. She immediately began CPR while directing others nearby to call 911 and run to the police station for help and an AED. Cornwall Police officers arrived quickly and assisted her as they continued lifesaving measures.
Laura refused to give up.
She worked on John until paramedics arrived and took over. After providing her report, she quietly left the scene, not knowing whether he would survive.
She later said she truly believed the entire situation was guided by timing beyond her control. If the first bank had been open, if her friend had not been in the vehicle watching her young daughter, if she hadn’t listened to that inner voice telling her to turn around, she would not have been there.
But she was.
And because she was, John had a chance.
Weeks later, determined to find the person who had saved him, I contacted the police station. Officers asked Laura if she would be willing to speak with me.
She did eventually say said yes.
When I told her John was alive, there was silence on the phone.
Then we both began to cry.
She had believed he hadn’t made it.
On December 19, 2025, our family arranged a surprise meeting at St. Joseph’s Villa, where John had been transferred for rehabilitation. He had often said he wished he could thank the person who saved him, but he had no idea we had found her.
When Laura arrived, we told John she was there.
The reunion was deeply emotional.
She sat beside him and shared every detail of that day — how she had found him, how hard she had worked, and how she refused to give up. For John, hearing those words provided answers and closure. For our family, it was a moment of profound gratitude.
It was also emotional for Laura, who said it was an honour and privilege to finally meet John and see his progress. What she had done in those critical moments had given him the chance to keep fighting.
Laura is quick to point out that she was not alone. The elderly couple who noticed John, the bystanders who called for help, the police officers who assisted, the paramedics, and the hospital teams all played vital roles. She emphasizes that lifesaving outcomes begin with bystander action.
“If it is safe to stop and help,” she says, “you could potentially save someone’s life.”
She also encourages people to learn CPR, stressing that anyone can be trained and make a difference.
John continued his rehabilitation journey at St. Joseph’s Villa, surrounded by the love and support of his family. His strength, determination, and fighting spirit continue to inspire all of us and he has returned home where he continues to heal.
Our family is deeply grateful to the nurses, physicians, and healthcare teams who cared for him, and especially to Laura — the nurse who didn’t walk by, but stopped.
Because of her, John is still here. We truly believe she is his Earth angel.
John has given his full blessing for this story to be shared, in hopes that it reminds others of the power of compassion, courage, and stepping forward when someone is in need.
Proof that heroes walk among us.
Sometimes, they are simply strangers who choose to stop. And in doing so, they create miracles.
In the header photo: Front row, left to right: Gail Flaro, whose wrote this inspiring Good News story, sits with her grandson River and beside her is Laura Mitchell Therrien, RN, and her brother-in-law John Flaro, joined by his wife Christine. Behind John stands his family, including his sister Kelly (6th person from the left), beside her is John’s brother Allan and his sister Audrey (2nd person from the right) and beside her is John’s grandson Caleb – a family who has helped carry John through with love, strength, and hope.
About the Author
