Australian with AS rescues motorist, receives award

An Australian man with ankylosing spondylitis will receive the Star of Courage for pulling a motorist from a burning vehicle (warning: pop-up) immediately after an accident. Michael Brown, who was helped by two other people, did so despite requiring crutches to walk, and suffered burns and, apparently, some spinal injury due to the rescue. What struck me, though, was the following quote from The Australian's article:

"It's an achievement, saving someone, but in my own mind it's more because my ex-wife wanted to put me in a home (due to the illness).

"For me, to do something when everyone had written me off ... it means I'm not worthless anymore," he said.

Good lord, what were the people around him doing to him that he could actually think such things?