By Stephanie ElamOriginal Source: edition.cnn.com

San Francisco, California (CNN)By the time Tom Wolf first encountered San Francisco Police Officer Rob Gilson, his addiction was spinning out of control. He was sitting in his car in the midst of a 10-day bender in the city's drug-ridden Tenderloin district. Wolf believes that without Gilson's compassion, he would most likely be dead by now.

"I was really at my worst," Wolf recalled of his state in February of 2018. "I was smoking heroin every day. At that point, I was using cocaine as well."

To Gilson, the signs were unmistakable.

"It was obvious that Tom had a drug addiction the first time that I spoke with him," said Gilson, who ran Wolf's identification at the time and learned he was listed as a missing person. "He was in one of our busier areas for drugs."

Gilson asked Wolf if he needed assistance, but like many who are addicted to drugs...click here to continue reading