A plumber jumped into action when he saw a grandmother being attacked by over 100 bees in Santee, California.
We know we are called to love others selflessly just as Christ did. But it’s not always as easy as it sounds.
Sometimes it takes real courage to step in for someone in danger, not thinking of our own safety.
We’ve seen many stories where God placed people with that kind of courage at just the right moment, or gave them the strength they needed to act.
In this story, He used a plumber to save the life of a helpless grandmother.
San Roque works as a plumber for Happy Plumbing. He had only been on the job for two weeks when this happened.
On Thursday morning, July 24, he and his coworker finished a service call in Santee. As they drove away, they saw something strange.
“We saw two people spraying bug spray everywhere and we were like, ‘What’s going on?'” San Roque said.
They drove closer to see what was happening. What they found was terrifying.
An elderly woman named Juana was leaning against her car. She was surrounded by a thick cloud of angry bees.
The woman was in her 50s, and she had been taking a nap outside near a tree when the bees started attacking her.
“I realized she had a bunch of bees on the side of her face,” San Roque said. “She told me in Spanish she was about to pass out, and right then she collapsed. I caught her just before she hit the ground.”
The plumber’s van had a dashcam that recorded everything. The video shows San Roque running to help Juana. He dragged her across the street and used his ball cap to swat bees off her face.
His coworker ran over with a fire extinguisher to help clear the swarm.
“I didn’t even think,” said San Roque. “I knew I wasn’t allergic, and I just stepped up. I’m glad I did that.”
The bees followed them into their van. The video shows both men fighting off the bees while trying to help Juana.
San Roque got stung between 20 and 30 times on his neck, head, and all over his body.
“I felt the stings on my neck, my head, all over my body,” he said. “But I just wanted to save her.”
Kyle Ritchie, Juana’s grandson in law, explained what happened before San Roque arrived.
The bees had formed a clump on a tree outside his home. His mother in law was the first person attacked when she went outside to take out the trash. She ran back inside, but then they realized Juana was still outside napping.
“They wanted to check on my wife’s grandma because she was taking a nap in the yard, and we came out and she was covered in bees,” Ritchie said.
The family tried to help Juana run away from the bees. Video shows them spraying the insects with raid and pouring rubbing alcohol on their bodies for protection. But Juana was too weak from all the bee stings to keep running.
“I knew that’s somebody’s grandma, and like kind of got a flashback of my grandma, and I knew I had to do something about it,” San Roque said.
San Roque’s partner called 911 right away. The Santee Fire Department arrived within ten minutes. A helicopter flew overhead and used strong winds to scatter the remaining bees.
Paramedics treated Juana in the street. She was unconscious and having a severe allergic reaction.
Her throat was closing up, and she had hives all over her body. They gave her epinephrine and Benadryl before taking her to Sharp Grossmont Hospital.
“She had a really bad reaction,” Ritchie said. “She had hives all over her body, and her throat was closing up.”
Medics also checked San Roque and Ritchie at the scene. They were okay, but Ritchie’s mother in law also had an allergic reaction and went to the hospital too.
Juana is now in stable condition and recovering. Her family says they will always be grateful to San Roque for his brave actions.
God placed this plumber at exactly the right place and time for Juana.
This story reminds us that He is always watching over us and has a plan for each one of us.
Let’s pray for Juana’s complete healing and ask God to prepare our hearts to love others selflessly.
WATCH: Hero Plumber Saves Woman Covered in Bees
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