“On Friday night, my husband’s wedding ring flew off of his hand and rolled away and down a Philly sidewalk grate. This was his grandfather’s wedding ring that was engraved with his grandparents’ initials and wedding date.
He was told that nothing could be done until Monday when City Hall reopened, so we headed to Home Depot and created a makeshift fishing pole out of dowel rods and a clothes hanger. We headed back to 12th and Market to get what was ours.
As a side note. Has anyone ever looked down a grate in Philly before? This one was about 12 feet deep and had a lovely layer of cigarette butts, needles, condom wrappers, cash, credit cards, and a few sets of keys.
We spent the next several hours face down on the grate, searching for his ring at the bottom. After only being there a few minutes we spotted the ring and used our contraption to fish it out. As we pulled it out we realized, it wasn’t the right ring.
We continued our search. During this entire time, strangers came up in an attempt to help us. Tourists from Chicago. Cab drivers. Homeless people. A bachelor party. Some even laid on their bellies to help us look.
Before too long, a Philly cop walked by. We stopped him and explained our dilemma. The cop radioed in to PECO and requested someone to come out. Soon after, our knight in shining armor (named Brian) pulled up in his PECO truck.
He donned protective clothing, used his tools to open the grate and meticulously combed the area using a flashlight. We laid on the grate above, helping him search. After what felt like an eternity, the flashlight hit a spot. Gold. Shiny. Reflecting the light.
Brian emerged from below victorious, my husband’s wedding ring in his hand. We all cheered- the cab drivers, the tourists on the street, and Philly cops who had come just to watch how this was going to end.
Yesterday could have been an incredibly sad and disappointing day, but instead it became a shining example of generosity, perseverance, and what it means to live in the City of Brotherly Love. Thank you @PECOconnect, Philadelphia Police Department , and all the strangers for their support!”
This story was written by Erin B., of Philadelphia, PA . Submit your own story here, and subscribe to our best stories in our free newsletter here.
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