A True Hero

To the Editor:

I write to thank and acknowledge a true hero in the Newtown community, Mr Michael Agius. His recent selfless act of honesty and unconditional concern for others has restored my belief in the basic goodness and generosity of people.

This past Saturday, I was picking up my daughter from a practice session in Danbury when thieves smashed the window of my Jeep Grand Cherokee and stole my pocketbook. In the five short minutes it took me to check on my daughter, they stole my wallet, cell phone, Palm Pilot, checkbook, driver’s license, credit cards, cash, and keys. I was especially upset because the pocketbook was an anniversary gift from my husband, and the wallet was a beautiful Christmas gift from my children.

After spending several hours canceling credit cards already used by the thieves and closing bank accounts, I was angry at people who callously stole my identity for personal gain, and disappointed that no one bothered to report a theft that occurred mid-afternoon in a busy parking area.

On Sunday night, however, all the anger subsided when I received a call from Mr Michael Agius, a volunteer member of the Newtown Ambulance Corp. He told me that after taking his daughter to a restaurant, she noticed pocketbooks down on the train tracks. Suspecting that the bags had been stolen, Mr Agius took the time to go down on the tracks and rescue the bags. He called me immediately to arrange a time for me to retrieve the bag and all its contents.

I cannot express how grateful I am to know that there are still people like Michael Agius who make the time to be kind and helpful to people they don’t even know. I hope that everyone who does know the Agius family will join me in letting them know how lucky we are to have families like them in our communities.

With deep gratitude to the Agius family, I am sending a donation to the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Association in their honor.

Sincerely,

Susan Dougherty

Greenwich                                         April 2, 2001