Elderly woman befriends young man who she says saved her life

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - On her way home from visiting a friend, 88-year-old Barbara Kimbro noticed her tank was on E, so she pulled into the next service station she saw.

After not getting a receipt at the pump once she finished pumping her gas, she decided to make a quick trip inside without her walker.

Kimbro says she lost her balance and almost fell to the ground. But, as she met a curb, she also met a new friend.

To her surprise, 27-year-old JaQuan Sanks came to Kimbro’s rescue, catching her in time before her fall.

“He literally saved my life,” says Kimbro, “I just felt like it was a God moment because he couldn’t have waited another second; if he had I was on the way down.”

Sanks, a Columbus native and Carver High graduate, was holding the door open for Kimbro and happened to be in the right place at the right time.

“I didn’t think; I just reacted,” says Sanks, “My attention span towards an older person is alert when I see one period. My attention was already on Ms. Barbara.”

Kimbro bought Sanks a full tank of gas, but she says she knows that’s not nearly enough to thank him for saving her life.

Kimbro calls it divine intervention.

More than one-thousand people have seen her post about all this on Facebook. Likewise, more than 30,000 have seen Sanks’ posts on his Facebook.

“I didn’t grab her for the publicity or the attention we’re getting,” says Sanks, “Luckily, the person I caught in my arms, Mrs. Barbara, has a personality out of this world, it deserves to be seen.”

News Leader 9′s Gabriela Johnson had the pleasure to meet the pair at Kimbro’s home. The two are grateful to have met.

“I love this man he’s just great, he’s my new son,” says Kimbro.

Sanks gifted his “new” mom a bouquet of flowers and a matching shirt for the both of them to wear.

Despite meeting her only a few days ago, Sanks shares that meeting Kimbro has changed his life.

“I’m just appreciative of just being able to be a part of her life and her being a part of mine because my life has definitely changed within a day,” says Sanks.

Sanks says his heroism is just him being “the ram in the bush.”

“He’s just an outstanding person you don’t run into often,” says Kimbro.

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