We don't expect to see ordinary people fly through the air and save a life. These people are heroes.

My neighbor Nick Fluet did just that and because of his bravery our dog Coco lives.

We ignored the signs of diabetes: extreme thirst to the point she needed to get water out of a frozen pond.

She had been emptying her water tank (it's about a gallon container) several times weekly. We were away for a few days and the gallon was empty. It was a very cold January day and so she tried to quench her thirst unfortunately in the pond.

Our neighbors Nick and Shiela and their dog Murray heard our dog's cries and knew she was hurt.

They acted immediately or she would have frozen to death from hypothermia. He pulled her from the freezing water to safety and made sure she went back into the house. She was partially in the water and stuck so she couldn't move on her own.

When we came home later that day, she needed time to recuperate at Warren Animal Hospital. She was on IV fluids and insulin until she could eat again. She lost 10 pounds (25 percent of her body weight) and was lucky to be alive!

The night we came home I went over to thank Nick and Sheila and they kept saying: "Any neighbor would help another the same."

So often we focus on the negative events in the news and forget how many miracles occur all around us.

It's not likely we see Superman or Wonder Woman or Captain America except on TV or at the movies.

Heroic people are in our midst: they're called "neighbors." Thank God for people like Nick and Sheila. We will be forever grateful for your courage!

The staff at Warren Animal Hospital also saved her life: not just the medical care but the love from their staff including a young lady Meagan and Dr. Mello and my husband Tom who never gave up on her.

She is recovering well now gaining her weight back and eating ferociously everything she can!

Judy Meisner

Barrington