Thankful to God That I Was Passing By': Rep. Emanuel Cleaver Aids Ailing Woman

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) came to the aid of an ailing woman while on his way to a meeting Friday, the Kansas City Star reported.

Cleaver, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, was riding in a car in Kansas City when he saw someone waving a hand from a patch of weeds on the other side of the road.

Cleaver's spokeswoman said the congressman told the staff member behind the wheel to stop the car and they both ran across the road to investigate. It turned out to be a middle-aged woman who was foaming at the mouth and going in and out of consciousness. Cleaver pulled off his jacket to cover the woman and called 911.

"She was foaming and then all of a sudden she went quiet," Cleaver told Kansas City NBC affiliate KSHB. "I said to the call taker at 911, I said you guys have to hurry, 'cause I don't know if she's going to survive."

Cleaver said the woman uttered just a few words before falling unconscious: "Help me, please." They stayed with her until emergency crews arrived.

He told local ABC affiliate KMBC-TV that due to privacy laws he has not been able to find out how the woman is doing.

"I'm just thankful to God that I was passing by," Cleaver told Kansas City NBC affiliate KSHB. "I can't think that I did something that anybody else wouldn't do, I think anybody driving by would have done it."