It has been said that there are so few courageous acts, yet we can share the story of one we just came across today that will touch your heart.Captain Bill Dowling of the Houston Fire Department performed one such act recently when he responded to a hotel fire in Southwest Houston in May of this year.
It was there that four firefighters died, and 13 others were injured as a result of the courage. Dowling lost both of his legs fighting the fire, and as of today he still cannot speak.
He currently has physical therapy each week, and naturally he only plans to make progress. The great part of this story is that the end result of his courageous acts aren't dampering his spirit.
Needless to say, his family is quite proud, and on Saturday he received an award for his courage from Liberty Mutual as part of the awards they use to honor firefighters around the country. While Dowling's wife Jacki would turn back the hands of time if she could to have her husband the way he was prior to this event, she could only smile when her husband was given the award over the weekend.
Kathy Huynh, the representative for Liberty Mutual that was at their home to present the plaque said that, "It was a very emotional moment for us." She shared with the family that 100 firefighters are honored each year, and only two are selected for this special award.
It was Dowling's co-workers at the Fire Deparment that shared his story of his courageous acts about his attempt at helping fight the fire. Dowling was in tears while trying to express a thank you for this award with this wife and children present, which in turn brought emotion from his wife Jacki.
Knowing that he was trying to show gratitude is how she knows he is sharing some joy and light through his brokenness that comes with the reality of losing limbs and being limited in the scope of one's job. How would you handle this?
Knowing the risks that come with the job didn't stop Captain Bill Dowling from his courageous acts. Instead, he did what he knew to do best, risking his life and limbs to save the livers of others. It is all too often that we don't think about the risks these firefighters take, along with police officers, and others that serve our community every day.
What would you do? Would you stop being courageous? Would you continue to do what you do best in an attempt to help others? We believe that our firefighters are so important, along with law enforcement officers, nurses and doctors that help people every day.
Don't ever let fear damper your "courageous acts"!
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