Boss' Concern Saves Worker's Life

Some people tell the boss a little white lie to take a sick day. This story goes in the opposite direction, with lifesaving results. Sales manager Mike Bell showed up for work as usual one day at a Dallas-area car dealership, but his boss sensed something was wrong, reports ABC News. "My boss, the second he came up to me, said, 'Mike, you look like [expletive], you need to go to the doctor and figure out what's going on.'" Bell, who'd lately been dismissing symptoms such as shortness of breath and even an instance of coughing up blood, wisely took the advice, reports WFAA. That same day, he had emergency heart surgery.

"He would have died within a few hours," his cardiac surgeon tells the TV station. It turns out that Bell had a tooth infection that was spreading bacteria into his bloodstream. As ABC News explains, the infection triggered coughing that led to a tear in Bell's aorta and a subsequent buildup of fluid in his lungs. Bell adds that the concern of his boss, Gus Rodriguez, didn't end with the suggestion to see a doctor. "He took care of me and made sure I could still pay the bills," says Bell. "He didn't let me come back until I gained some weight." (This boss is in Nashville isn't so bad, either.)