DEAR SUN SPOTS: On Tuesday, Feb. 4, I suffered a hard fall on black ice in my driveway. Having had knee replacement months before and getting ready for the second one, I was unable to pick myself up.

Living on Park Avenue, a very busy road with lots of traffic, I was sure someone would stop. I waved at everyone going by, even an Auburn police cruiser. Maybe they all thought I was just being friendly.

I scooted on my bottom over to my car about 20 feet away, thinking I might be able to grab the rear spoiler to lift myself up. It was a good idea in theory, but my knees weren’t cooperating and I kept falling back down on them. Out of embarrassment and frustration, I just started to cry.

Finally, a gentleman named Lucien pulled up and helped me to stand, and a woman named Marion pulled over at about the same time. They both held on to me as my whole body was shaking. They didn’t let me go until they sat me in Lucien’s car. They both then proceeded to not only salt and sand the area where I fell, they even cleared the snow from my car and shoveled the snow away!

Finally feeling steady and so overwhelmed by their kindness, I reached to hug them both and the tears flowed once again. If they see this letter, I hope they will forgive me if I spelled their names incorrectly. I can never thank them enough for their kindness and they will never be forgotten. — Marianne, no town

ANSWER: I’m so grateful these good Samaritans came along to help you get back onto your feet and provide warmth and comfort to you. It’s so kind of you to acknowledge these two angels in Sun Spots.

Your incident is also a prompt to discuss how we can prepare to navigate winter weather. I urge folks to do exercises and drills to be sure you can move enough to get yourselves off the ground/floor if you happen to fall. Talk with your health care professional about that and look into spending a few sessions with a physical therapist if needed.

Always have your phone in your pocket or wear an Apple watch or Fitbit so you can easily notify 911 in an emergency.

Better yet, get a personal emergency response system device. The cost of these emergency buttons that you wear like a necklace or a bracelet are often covered by health insurance. If you are a member of AARP, you’ve probably seen them advertised in their magazines. Life Alert and Medical Guardian are two good brands.

In my opinion, everyone should have a PERS. Even those of us who are in the best of health can fall and hurt ourselves seriously enough that we can’t get back up by ourselves. Just promise me that once you have one, you’ll wear it and not stick it in a drawer!

Sun Spotters, if you want to relate your experience with a PERS device or want to share your good Samaritan stories, I encourage you to do so.

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