In time of need, mailman delivers
A simple courtesy by a Mount Carmel area postman went a long way toward helping an elderly woman receive emergency medical treatment this past summer.
Patrick O'Brien, who works out of the Mount Carmel Post Office, had dropped off a package at the Timpko family home in Oak Garden Estates on Aug. 10. He knew if Charles or Patricia weren't home that Helen Timpko would be; however, given her age, she may have trouble getting to the door.
Instead, Patrick rang the door bell, poked his head inside the unlocked door and called out, "Mailman!"
That's when he heard Helen, who turned 91 years old Thursday, call out for help and found her laying in a back bedroom after she fell over, clutching a cell phone. Patrick took the phone and called her son, Charles.
"She probably would have been there all morning," Patrick said during a phone interview Tuesday.
Charles said that his mother had some issues with falling prior to the incident. He'd driven to Boyers Food Market in Mount Carmel the morning his mother fell and hadn't been gone long when Patrick called.
"My mother couldn't get off the floor," Charles said by phone Tuesday. "I asked if he could wait with her.
"It was something rare to find a stranger go out of their way to help someone in need," Charles said.
Patrick sat with Helen, who didn't suffer serious injuries, while Charles dialed 911 before rushing home, just beating the ambulance. Knowing Helen was in good hands, Patrick left the home.
"The ambulance was coming up the road and I had to get back to work," he said with a laugh.
Charles was moved enough by Patrick's kindness that he contacted the U.S. Postal Service. In turn, Patrick was honored by his peers Oct. 13 during a Hero Employee Recognition Luncheon. He was one of 12 regional postal employees honored for on-the-job heroic acts and good deeds.
"I was a little embarrassed once they found out," Patrick said. "Nobody knew about it."
That said, Patrick said he was happy that the Timpkos thought enough of his actions to say thanks themselves and to alert his employer.
It wasn't the first time Patrick helped someone in need while on the job.
He said twice before, once when a man had broken his hip and again when a woman was having a stroke, he'd helped area residents get medical attention.
Patrick considers it part of his job. He said letter carriers get to know their customers and lending a hand comes with the job.
"I'm glad he's around," Charles said. "He's got 30-some years in. I'm just hoping when he does decide to retire they replace him with someone who's as conscientious as he is."
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