It was a “miracle on 125th Street” last December, when Cecil Williams, who is blind, temporarily lost consciousness and fell onto the subway tracks at the Harlem station with his loyal service dog Orlando close behind. Onlookers frantically summoned help. Together, the two survived in the space between the tracks as the train pulled in above them.

Suffering from cuts and bruises, and a laceration to his head, Mr. Williams was treated at St. Luke’s Hospital for nine days before being released. Orlando was always at his side.

“When Mr. Williams presented, we evaluated him with the trauma service to ensure he had no life-threatening injuries, which, fortunately, he did not,” says Jeffrey Rabrich, MD, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at St. Luke’s Hospital, who was involved in Mr. Williams’ care. “We treated him for his head injury and admitted him for observation. We were happy to see that Orlando was uninjured when he arrived in the Emergency Department, as well.”