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Rescue on West Luverne Street was a 'God thing,' but good neighbors played a role

Subhead
In Other Words
Lead Summary
By
Jason Berghorst, reporter

One of the things I enjoy most about this part-time summer reporter job is talking to people about what’s interesting in their lives.
Usually the “real” news is taken care of by the professionals here and I get to focus on stories that are sometimes classified as “human interest.”
By definition, that means I’m writing articles about people that you as human readers should find interesting.
Most of the time, I’m happy to say, I think that’s the case.
I’ve learned over the years that human-interest stories also often have a lesson to learn within them.
Perhaps that's what makes them interesting.
I took a few lessons with me after spending time with Lee and Kathy Hamann and their neighbors last week.
Four of Lee’s neighbors came to his rescue when he had a heart attack while mowing his lawn when Kathy wasn’t home.
Hearing the Hamanns and their neighbors reflect on the events of that day taught me a few lessons I’ve been thinking about ever since.
Lesson No. 1: It’s important to know your neighbors.
The residents in these four houses, all in a row on the south side of Luverne Street, know each other well and look out for one another.
The group talked about clearing sidewalks and mowing the lawn for one another — not to mention helping to save a neighbor’s life.
“They’re not just neighbors, they’re good friends,” Kathy pointed out.
That’s an understatement.
Lesson No. 2: Pay attention to your surroundings.
If the neighbors hadn’t all been aware of what was going on on their block late that afternoon, things could have turned out much differently.
Sometimes in small towns we think of the stereotypical “nosy neighbor.” In a case like this, we should all want our neighbors to be watching what we do.
Being aware of what’s happening in our neighborhoods doesn’t only mean preventing crime and checking on elderly neighbors.
 It can literally mean saving the life of an otherwise healthy person.
Lesson No. 3: Be thankful and humble in all things.
This was, by far, the biggest takeaway for me from this story.
The very first thing Lee said to me about the events of that day was “I don’t know how I can thank them enough.”
It makes sense for a heart attack survivor to be thankful and humble.
What really struck me was how much the neighbors embodied these same attributes.
They humbly said things like “I was in the right place at the right time,” “I’m just glad I could help,” and “It was a God thing.”
One neighbor replied to me in an email, “Kathy and Lee are wonderful people and we’re lucky that they’re our neighbors.”
I think it’s very safe to say the Hamanns feel the same way about their neighbors.  
We could all take a few lessons from the residents of West Luverne Street. 

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