GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Emergency crews responded to a West Michigan woman's home Friday to transport her for a much needed trip.
When most people ride in the back of an ambulance, it's a matter of life and death. In a way, that was what Teresa Robinson faced.
The most important trip of her life required a special assist.
Teresa's life as of late hasn't been a smooth ride. Seven years ago Teresa was hit during a drive-by in Grand Rapids while attending the funeral of her grandson who was killed by gun violence.
"That's when I got shot," she explained. "I became a paraplegic."
Hit in the back, doctors said they couldn't take the bullet out. They also said she was lucky to be alive but would never walk again.
A fixture in her life since then, the woman who gave her life.
"My mom has cleaned me up, she has cooked," Teresa shared. "She's not just my mom. She's my friend. She's my best friend."
The visits however, stopped about six months ago. Teresa hasn't seen her in person since.
A cancer diagnosis and a rapid decline in health has kept the best friends apart. Teresa's wheelchair is too big to fit through the doors where her mother is staying and different transports were too expensive.
Things took a turn for the worse three weeks ago when her mother entered hospice.
"They can't treat her for the cancer anymore because she couldn't eat. She's just getting weaker and weaker," she said. "And I cried, and I told her mom, you can't do this to me now."
Teresa made a desperate plea on Facebook which was answered by Life EMS. They showed up and made sure to get her where she needed to go.
"I called her and told her girl I'm coming."
FOX 17 cameras stopped following along at this point. The road ahead leads to a moment meant for just two people, possibly the last between a mother and daughter or two best friends. It's a moment six months in the making made possible by a caring crew in an ambulance.
"It's definitely a gift. And I'm so thankful and grateful for this."
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