'She's my mom's guardian angel': Daughter finds Good Samaritan who saved life in Dover

DOVER — After several days of searching, Michelle Cook found the Good Samaritan she credits with saving her mother’s life.

Cook is calling the woman her mother’s “guardian angel.” Her name is Lori Brown, and she lives in the same Dover building as Cook’s mother Gisele Tibbets. 

Cook and Brown met at Henry Law Park Thursday afternoon, so Cook could give her a proper thank you, and Brown could fill in some of the gaps about what happened. Cook gave Brown a hug upon meeting, and as tears started to well in her eyes, she handed her flowers and said thank you.

'I believe God wanted me to see her right away'

Brown recounted pulling into the back of their apartment building on Henry Law Avenue, where she saw Tibbets laying near the steps. Tibbets' shoe was on the second to bottom step, her glasses were several feet away, and she was bleeding from a head wound. Brown said she got out of her car to check on Tibbets, and promptly called 911.

“I had hardly parked my car, and I see her on the sidewalk as my headlights shined right on her,” Brown said. “I believe God wanted me to see her right away. She was talking to me before she went unconscious. I didn’t realize how bad it was at first, I thought maybe she just tripped. I said, ‘Do you need me to call 911?’ She said, ‘Yes, please.’”

Cook discovered her mother was at the hospital by accident. She was using the Find My iPhone app to check on her teenage son, when it showed that her mother was last located at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. At first, Cook didn't know much beyond that her mother was found unconscious and hypothermic. She's been working on filling in the blanks in her mother's memory.

Finding her mom’s ‘guardian angel’

Several days ago, Cook posted to Facebook to try to find the Good Samaritan responsible for calling 911 and saving her mother’s life. She thought it was a long shot, until she got a message from someone that knew the mystery woman. With a name in hand, Cook sent Brown a Facebook message to introduce herself. Brown was too humble to take credit at first, telling Cook that it was God’s grace that she was there. 

Previous story:Daughter searches for Good Samaritan in Dover

“She was the right person, there at the right time,” Cook said. “I’m forever grateful for her, she saved my mom’s life. Without her, my mom might not be here today, and I owe her so much.”

Tibbets was moved to the rehab floor Thursday, but has a long road to recovery on the horizon, her daughter said. Her internal bleeding and injuries are on the mend, but she still has memory gaps and doesn’t remember falling or what she was doing leading up to it. Cook said it’s been emotional for her mom to come to terms with what happened without any memory of it. 

'That call will never leave me':Retiring Dover Fire Chief Paul Haas' rescue of a young woman

Gift of Warmth:Mother and daughter 'so grateful' for help with heat in time of need

“I read the Foster’s story out loud to her, and she got very emotional because the reality of what happened became real,” Cook said. “She told me she’s lucky to have a daughter like me. Being with her, holding her hand, hearing her voice: it all means so much when you've come so close to losing her. My brother and I are so thankful for every minute.”

One decision made all the difference

Brown counts her blessings, too, noting how unusual it was for her to leave her daughter's house as early as she did. She believes that one decision to get home sooner may have made the difference in saving Tibbets. Brown stayed with her until an ambulance arrived to take her to Portsmouth Regional Hospital.

“Gisele is loved by all of us here, she's such a sweet lady,” Brown said, taking her glasses off to wipe the tears from her eyes. “I want Gisele to know that I'm so happy she's with us, and that all of us miss her so dearly.”

When asked about how she feels about saving Tibbets' life and Cook thinking of her as a guardian angel, Brown humbly said it fills her heart and makes her happy, but at the end of the day she just did “what anyone else would do.”