A Filipino woman in Toronto who was praised as a "hero nanny" for bravely pushing two children out of the way of an oncoming vehicle is now on the road to recovery.
Jillian Mendoza, believed to be in her 30s, sustained life-threatening injuries after risking her own life to save a two-year-old and a five-year-old who are under her care when a vehicle veered off a main street and onto the sidewalk on St. Clair Ave. W. near Dufferin St., at around 11 a.m. on February 24.
In a security video obtained by CTV Toronto News, a Black SUV was seen beginning to parallel park on the street. The car was slowly reversing at first but suddenly reversed at a high rate of speed, hitting a parking meter and Mendoza, who was pushing the stroller of the two children.
"When officers arrived at the scene, the stroller was actually partially pinned between the vehicle and the wall, which is unbelievably lucky and everyone here is thankful that she actually took the actions that she did," authorities on the scene told CTV Toronto News.
Mendoza was immediately rushed to a local trauma centre with life-threatening injuries after the incident. The two young children, meanwhile, sustained minor injuries, the report added.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up to help Mendoza in her recovery process.
"Jillian is a Filipina nanny who came to Canada a few years ago. She is a single mom working hard to sustain her daughter's and parents' needs," wrote GoFundMe organizer Anney Anna Gonzales.
"She is just in the process of obtaining her residency here in Canada and has so many plans and dreams for her daughter, Ohana. She is also the sole provider of her family. It will be a long road to recovery and I hope that we can help support her financially and through prayers."
More than $160,000 has been raised as of Tuesday morning, March 2.
Those who also want to support Mendoza's recovery may go to this link: https //www.gofundme.com/f/help-jillian-hero-nanny-recover