She suffered a severe head injury in August when she fell in a stairwell while away at college in Ohio.
Her parents who live in Upper Darby wanted her close to home, but insurance wouldn't pay for the $7,100 ambulance bill to transport her 475 miles.
"We had already been in Ohio for a month, so it was time to come home," Samantha's mother Laura said.
"I don't remember the accident; I do believe it was very important for me to come back here only because I love it here," Samantha said.
Then three firefighters from the East Lansdowne Fire Company entered the picture.
When Chief Tom Johnson, his brother Jim, and Jeff Foltz heard about the Rementer's dilemma, they used one of the company ambulances to go out to Columbus, Ohio and bring Sam home to the Delaware Valley. They left last Friday the 10th and returned a day later.
"Bringing this girl home for her family and getting her back into her area and environment , a good deed like that makes you feel good," Jim said.
"When you encounter a situation where there's an obvious need and you have the obvious ability to make a big impact on that need, you find a way to get it done," Tom said.
The trip cost about $300 for diesel fuel.
Thousands of dollars raised to help the family will now be used to modify the family's basement to accommodate Sam during her recovery.
In about 6 weeks, Sam will undergo surgery to replace part of her skull and eventually she hopes to return to college.
Meanwhile she wants to thank those who raised money and especially the three firefighters.
"I really and truly appreciate their efforts and it's just amazing what they did," Sam said.
