'He Was My Hero!' Tycoon Builds 1,000 Homes for Homeless after One of Them Saved His Life — Story of the Day

Roger thought very little of homeless people. He had worked hard for his wealth, and he felt that everybody else should as well. However, after a homeless man saves his life, he realizes just how faulty his perspective is.

Roger was a wealthy business tycoon who initially came to prominence in real estate before moving into other business ventures. Roger had made his money by strategically putting himself first, and this was an ideal that he greatly applied in his life outside of business.

He held the opinion that everyone had to make their own way in life. He didn't believe in handouts and tended to be quite stingy with his money.

Going to work, he often saw several homeless people on the street near his company office, and it annoyed him. Roger had no empathy for the homeless and thought that they had brought their circumstances upon themselves.

"And you were hoping I'd just hand you my hard-earned money? Stop being lazy and work, man!"

They came to know Roger's scorn for them after trying to approach him for money. He would often throw a fit and call security on them. One homeless man, Mark, tried to ask Roger for money for bread one day, and he went haywire.

"This is a place of work! Not a charity! I don't want to see you in this vicinity ever again!" Roger barked.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean any harm. I was just hoping for a little change," Mark replied.

"And you were hoping I'd just hand you my hard-earned money? Stop being lazy and work, man!" Roger snapped.

"I wish it were that simple, sir. But—" Mark tried to explain.

"I'm not interested in your excuses. Just don't let me find you near my offices again," Roger retorted before walking away, leaving a downcast Mark.

"No problem, sir. I promise you won't have to worry about me," Mark said dejectedly, watching Roger stomp off.

One day Roger was leaving the office on his way home. Suddenly, he had an epileptic seizure. As Roger fell to the ground, jerking and shaking in a fit. Everybody huddled around Roger in panic, uncertain of what to do.

Seeing the commotion from a distance, Mark began to make his way to the crowd, pushing everyone aside and applying the necessary protocols. Mark had served as an army public health nurse, so he knew exactly what to do.

He turned Mark to the side and loosened Roger's tie to help him breathe. He didn't leave Roger's side until the seizure was over, trying to comfort and calm him down.

"Breathe... Just breathe. Everything will be okay. Breathe. Everything will be okay," Mark calmly repeated.

Roger's seizure finally stopped just before the ambulance arrived. Mark left the scene once Roger was safely in the ambulance, sticking to the promise he had made to Roger.

Roger recovered after a week. His doctor informed him that he had a minor stroke during his seizure. If it wasn't for Mark, he would have never made it.

Roger was extremely regretful of how he had treated Mark. The moment he got out of the hospital, he made it a priority to find the man that had saved his life.

Roger went to the street by his office where the vagrants usually dwelled. He considered himself lucky that Mark was there that day because Mark rarely came by the office since their altercation.

"I know. But he saved my life. I just wanted an opportunity to thank him."

Roger asked around, looking for Mark. Nobody seemed interested in helping him. Roger had ill-treated most of the people there, and as a result, he didn't have the best reputation with them. It took Roger a total of two days before he could find someone willing to provide him with the information he was seeking.

"Heard you looking for Mark," one of the more dodgy vagrants asked Roger inconspicuously.

"Yes, do you know where I can find him?" Roger asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Why would you want to find him? Last I knew, you two were far from best friends," the vagrant said with a menacing chuckle.

"I know. But he saved my life. I just wanted an opportunity to thank him," Roger admitted honestly. "Yeah, yeah. I heard about your episode. Glad you're good and all that, but if you want anything from me, you gotta pay up," said the vagrant with his hand out and a cheeky smirk on his face.

Roger gave the vagrant the money, and he finally spilled the beans. Roger learned that Mark had died a few days after saving Roger's life. Mark was sick with a heart problem.

Mark lost his job as a nurse a while back because of his illness and then became bankrupt, paying for treatment that never healed him. He lost his house and found himself in the streets shortly after.

The vagrant explained to Roger that Mark wasn't just begging because he was homeless. He was actually trying to raise money for a plane ticket to visit his son, who lived in another country. Mark's son had not seen him since before he got sick, and he was hoping to spend his last few days alive with him.

The news was crushing to Roger. He had hoped he would have an opportunity to thank Mark and make things right between them.

Roger thought about him often and hated himself for being so selfish. If it wasn't for the vagrant he paid, Roger wouldn't even know Mark's name.

The more he thought about Mark, the more he came to understand how warped his outlook on life was. He had believed that the life of a homeless man was worth nothing, only to have his life saved by one.

Roger decided to make it his prerogative to change his views and do his part to help the homeless. Even though he was gone, he felt obligated to honor this amazing human being who saved his life.

So, in honor of Mark, Roger founded a charity company and built 1,000 modular homes for homeless people.

What can we learn from this story?

• Don't be quick to judge people. Roger quickly judged Mark because of his position or class in society. He couldn't see him as a person, yet that was the very person that would later save him.
• Be kind to people. If Roger had been kind to Mark from the get-go, he might not have felt so bad after his passing, knowing he had returned the man's kindness.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a cinema owner who opens his doors to the homeless to keep them warm at night, only to meet his long lost son.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.