While on her appointed rounds, Sacramento, CA, French Camp Rural Carrier Sharen Byrd came to the aid of one of her customers after she heard the woman screaming hysterically at the top of her lungs.
The customer had been on her way to run some errands, but inadvertently locked herself between the front door and the security door of her home. By the time Byrd heard her cries for help, the customer had been in the tiny space between the two doors for over an hour in the sweltering sun.
The customer was becoming dehydrated and lethargic and knew she could not last much longer. That’s when she saw Byrd’s mail truck drive by.
Byrd retrieved the customer’s keys out of her car parked in the driveway and unlocked the security door.
“Tears keep flowing every time I think about this,” said the customer. “Later that day after Sharen got off work, she came back to check on me. That truly shows her compassion for me and our neighborhood. I will never forget her life-saving actions.”
Because of Byrd’s heroic actions, she received a letter of commendation from Postmaster General Pat Donahoe.
