There are many challenges that come with being a mail carrier – whether it be long hours on your feet, or having to bear through extreme weather. But still, they always do their best to make sure we get all our letters and packages on time.
Stephen Garofalo has been working as a postal carrier for more than 30 years already.
With all the years he’d spent working as one, he has become extremely familiar with his neighborhood. He can easily spot anything that looks out of place.
One day, Stephen saw something that was obviously not right. A two-year-old was wandering around outside alone.
Stephen had seen the boy before on that particular route. It was quite unusual for him to be alone outside.
He quickly asked the child where his mother was.
The child was clearly frightened. However, instead of saying an exact answer, the little boy could only point to his house.
Stephen recalled to CBS2:
“When I walked up there, she was hunched over his stroller. She was unconscious, unresponsive.”
The mailman attempted to wake the mom up.
When he nudged the woman and failed to get a response, he knew that it was a medical emergency. He quickly dialed 911.
The first responders got to the woman’s house as fast as they could. They then rendered first aid and brought her to the hospital.
There, they discovered that the woman had suffered from a bad reaction to some of the medications she was taking.
It rendered her unconscious while she was looking after her son. The doctors shared that if Stephen wasn’t there, the EMT wouldn’t have quickly gotten to her house.
Stephen considers the incident the biggest thing he’s encountered in his career.
For what he did, he was awarded a Life-Saving Award. It was given to him in a recognition ceremony hosted right at the post office he’s a part of.
Despite being praised as a hero, Stephen thinks it’s just another day at work.
He said:
“I don’t classify myself as any kind of hero. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Somebody was in trouble and I helped them.”
Even though he refuses to consider himself a hero, the mom believes he’s a really good person.
She said:
“He’s an amazing guy in general … You don’t think of him as a postman, you think of him as just one of the other guys that walk around in the neighborhood. Honestly, he’s like another neighbor.”
No matter what he thinks, Stephen deserves that award.
He deserves the praises, too. Clearly, he has a kind heart. He could have ignored the child and continued his work, but he stopped to check if everything was alright. And it was a good thing that he did. If he failed to take action, the poor boy could have ended up losing his precious mom.
Because of that, people think that he deserves more than just getting an award. One particular YouTube viewer commented:
“A TRUE HERO, hats off to him he should get more than just a raise”
Mail carriers are people in our neighborhood that deserve appreciation for all they do. But this one, in particular, really went above and beyond.
Be sure to check out the video below to see an interview with Stephen!
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