The Story of Joey Romano and Beni Lukumu
Joey Romano was a college freshman when he broke his wrist trying to avoid a car while skateboarding. Worried about insurance, he called an Uber instead of an ambulance. Beni Lukumu was the Uber driver in question, helping Romano get comfortable, and when his injury turned out to be more serious than urgent care, took him to the hospital. Lukumu not only drove Romano there for no cost, but when he realized that Romano had no nearby family to help him, Lukumu, having immigrated from the Democratic Republic of Congo at a young age and feeling a kinship, stayed with him, signing him in and staying six hours with him, and when Romano's grandmother offered payment, he politely turned it down, but agreed to join them for dinner.
Romano was going through a horrible point in his life at that point as well: grief over his ten-year-old brother, Johnny, passing from leukemia, and that friendship cemented a goal for Romano to help people thanks to that act of kindness by Lukumu. Lukumu now works in the insurance industry in Austin, Texas, while Romano is a renewable energy developer, and they've kept their friendship intact for seven years and hopefully much longer.
