A group of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) from the Toms River First Aid Squad in New Jersey was moved when a recovering addict paid for their breakfast at a restaurant recently.

The first aid squad was established in 1931 and has been responding to emergencies and providing quality first aid to the residents of Toms River and areas nearby with the help of their volunteers.

The Facebook page of the Toms River First Aid Squad shared last July 20 the act of kindness one person showed them while they were having breakfast at IHOP that Friday morning. The recovering addict, a woman, apparently paid for the group’s tab, a gesture that moved the EMTs to tears.

“To the woman who paid our tab today at IHOP, thank you so much for paying for our breakfast,” wrote the Toms River First Aid Squad Facebook page. “This gift was amazingly thoughtful, and brought our table of tired EMTs to tears.”

In the picture the page shared, a note bore the message of the kind stranger to the group. It read: “Paid, thank you for all you do! Have a great day! – Recovering Addict.”

“We are so blessed to be able to serve you and everyone else who lives and works in the greater Toms River area,” added the Facebook page. “Good luck on your journey of recovery!”

For some, it’s easy to think that those afflicted with drug addiction are hopeless. Drug addicts, however, are people too and the case for successful recoveries are not beyond reach.

In the Philippines alone, many former drug addicts have turned their life around and have been integrated back into society with the help of rehabilitation. Though the struggle and the possibility of relapsing are hard realities that come with recovery, the notion holds true that there is life after addiction. NVG

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