Lewiston, Maine, hospital staff banded together to help a colleague

This is one of the things that many of us in Maine take for granted, whether we want to admit it or not. The ability to get from home to work without any problems.

Even though Mainers are still a predominantly rural state, most Mainers do not face the daily hassle of getting from point A to point B. This is especially true for people with quality jobs. Access to a vehicle seems more like a right than a privilege.

So you can probably imagine the range of emotions one employee at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston felt and dealt with daily. Corey, an anesthesia technician at a hospital, was forced to ask anyone and everyone for a ride to and from work to get his job done.

As if the job itself wasn’t stressful enough, Corey was faced with the reality of arriving late to work on a daily basis and making his co-workers think he wasn’t dedicated to his job. Finding rides was a quiet struggle.

But when Corey’s colleagues heard about this struggle, they didn’t hesitate to find a solution. Behind the scenes, a fundraising effort began on Corey’s behalf, spearheaded by another employee, Tina Moring.

In just 10 days, employees raised more than $11,000. This allowed the employees to buy Corey a quality used car. Not only that, it allowed the staff to cover registration costs as well as the insurance needed to get Corey started.

Corey’s response was emotional and expressed very simply and poignantly. “It changed my life.” The video, posted by Rebecca Mastrianno on Facebook, shows the entire moment employees delivered Corey his new car.

Kindness and compassion can go a long way.