Meeting for the first time at the Patriots Hall of Fame last week, Toya Tidwell had flowers, gifts, and thanks to rain on Megan and Matt Pohl for the couple's heroic actions that prevented tragedy for her family.
Toya's son, Jamarc Tidwell, was trying to get himself a coffee before the Patriots kicked off their Week 2 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday when his wheelchair got stuck in the tracks of an oncoming train.
The Pohls were in the right place at the right time to get the man with special needs to safety.
"That was your purpose that day, and I'm so grateful," Toya told them. "You saved me and my family from a lot of tears, and what we don't want to happen to our children. From one mother to another, thank you so much."
With the help of the Pohls, and then Officer Pagan of the Holbrook Police Department, Jamarc got his coffee at Marylou's Coffee and was back home in time to watch his favorite team pull off a win, decked out in his Patriots chain and Matthew Judon shirt.
After hearing the story, Judon and the Patriots wanted to take things a step further.
Both families were reunited at Gillette Stadium on Friday for what they thought would just be a private tour of the Patriots Hall of Fame. What they didn't know is that Judon would be there to surprise everyone with tickets to New England's home opener and Jamarc, his biggest fan, with a new power wheelchair.
"It's really not much for me, it's more on these guys that saved them," Judon said.
"We just heard about the story and wanted to help out and do what we could. The Patriots gave him the tickets and we came up with enough money to get the man a wheelchair and something that would suit him way better."
Judon teamed up with Mobility Equipment Recyclers to hook Jamarc up with the new wheels, but customizing a chair for someone as a surprise came with some challenges.
"We provide custom solutions at Mobility Recyclers, so you have to kind of sit down with the patient and measure them and get all their right sizing and stuff," Andrew Celani, general manager of Mobility Equipment Recyclers, said. "We didn't have much to go by just looking at the news story, we could tell he was a bigger guy who is right-handed, and that's about it."
Celani's team got the job done, though. Jamarc finished the tour of the Hall in his new wheelchair, and now, he even has a special cupholder for his coffee.
"I'm so happy he has something that not only did he need, but he's got the Cadillac now!" joked Megan. "He's going to be riding in style now."
The day was a memorable experience for all parties. Two good Samaritans were recognized, a die-hard Patriots fan got to meet his favorite player, and the root cause of Jamarc's near-death experience was fixed.
"I think this will suit you way better, and I'm pretty sure it won't get stuck," Judon said. "We're glad you're still here and we're glad you're a Patriot for life."
