PETERSBURG, Va. β After profiling Petersburg Firefighter Capt. Cody Edlin's selfless action while at a playground with his son, Wayne Covil visited Edlin again β this time with a surprise.
Last month, Edlin was playing on the playground with his son when he heard a commotion. A woman at the playground was having a severe allergic reaction, and Edlin grabbed his 7-year-old son's EpiPen and used it to help a stranger in need.
"I did what I would hope somebody else would do for someone else, a stranger," Edlin said at the time. "Hero is not the word. I just happened to be there."
The story stuck with Covil, and he wanted to continue to honor the firefighting father.
Watch: Firefighter in 'full daddy mode' saves stranger at park
Recognizing that EpiPens are expensive and that Edlin had used his son's device to save someone else, he reached out to CBS 6 Gives with an idea.
"I was just impressed by your demeanor and the fact that part of the reason you wanted to do the story was to let folks know that if you have an EpiPen, use it for someone else," I said to Edlin. "EpiPens are expensive, so I reached out to the committee that does CBS 6 Gives. I said I've got a great idea. Explained the situation and they said let's do it. So I reached out to my friends at Walnut Hill Pharmacy, CBS 6 Gives has purchased you an EpiPen for your son."
"Well, I appreciate that. Thank y'all so much," Edlin said.
The gesture serves a dual purpose: recognizing Edlin's quick thinking and encouraging others to help in similar situations.
"What you did was great. And like you said, the goal here is to make sure people know the signs of if somebody's going into anaphylactic shock, but also that if you have an EpiPen, be willing to help someone else," Covil said.
"It's all about doing the right thing," Edlin said.
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