On December 1, a fast-moving snowstorm rolled through the St. Louis area, and USPS told its carriers they could stay home. Deanna Chatman went anyway.
She was driving through a Maryland Heights neighborhood when she heard something — a faint voice calling for help from a garage. A 96-year-old woman had slipped on her icy driveway while trying to put mail outside. No shoes. No socks. Just hours alone in the cold, yelling for someone to hear her.
"I stopped and asked, 'Do you need help?'" Chatman told KSDK. The woman had been calling out for hours. People passed. No one heard. Until the mail carrier did.
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Start Your News DetoxThe woman's granddaughter later explained what happened: her grandmother had tried to place outgoing mail in the box, lost her footing, and ended up trapped in the garage. "She heard people, but they couldn't hear her, until Ms. Chatman came to drop off mail and heard her and ran into the garage," the granddaughter said.
In six years delivering mail, Chatman said she'd never experienced anything like it. "I'm blessed that I got a chance to save someone's life," she told the station. The granddaughter wanted Chatman to know what her split-second decision meant to the family. "It probably happens more than we know, but the mail people are helping people all the time. Like she did this and probably went on with her day. …She didn't think anything of it."
USPS recognized the moment for what it was. The agency awarded Chatman the Postmaster General Award, which recognizes exceptional heroism. "Deanna's actions made a real difference that day, and we couldn't be more proud of her conduct and dedication," USPS Strategic Communications Specialist Tara Jarrett said.
Sometimes the difference between a routine day and a crisis is the choice to show up when you didn't have to.
