REIDSVILLE, N.C. — Your relationship with the person who takes your garbage is likely pretty simple. You might say hello if your paths cross - otherwise, you probably miss their weekly drive-bys.
But, one Triad woman credits her garbage collector for saving her life.
"It was such a relief for me because I thought I was gone. I really did," said 90-year-old Laverne Lefler.
Last Thursday, Lefler was at home alone eating breakfast, when she began to choke on her cereal.
"I couldn't get my breath," she said, "I was in the bathroom and the dogs started barking, so I thought well, maybe somebody was out there that could help me."
She says she stumbled outside, waving her arms, and saw the garbage man.
"I waved to him and he jumped out of the truck," Lefler said, "He was very calm with me, and I told him, smack me on my back. He did, and it came up. He said, are you okay? I said I think I'll be okay now."
"What really, really makes the day, is that he was not the original driver," she said, "He was sent here from heaven."
Maybe, they say, sent by someone already up there. Someone, like Laverne's husband, who passed away last Christmas.
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