https://www.today.com/parents/family/uber-driver-stayed-passenger-er-rcna231645
“It wasn’t even a question for me,” Lukumu, who now works in insurance, tells TODAY. “I was staying with Joey. He needed somebody to be by his side.”
Romano recalls how Lukumu took charge, signing him into the ER, and then sat with him from 2 to 8 p.m. Lukumu says the hours he missed at work didn’t even register; his new friend mattered far more.
“After losing my brother… and experiencing so much loss beyond that… I just became really insular. I could barely take care of myself, let alone others,” he says. “I just shut down and closed myself off. I became really cold."
Romano’s voice thickens with emotion as he remembers how Lukumu pulled him out of that dark, isolating place. Meeting Lukumu, he says, was a turning point. It’s what drives him to look for ways to help others whenever he can.
“That one act of kindness helped me see the good in the world again,” Romano says. “Having him spend his entire day with me — a complete stranger, for no reason than the goodness of his heart, helped me to put things into perspective. Beni absolutely changed my life."