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Michael O’Neill, St. Paul, MN

Hero Michael O'Neill
St. Paul, MN, Letter Carrier Michael O’Neill

Jeannine Zimmerman was alone at her home in St. Paul, MN, on a recent snowy day when she stepped outside and fell, becoming stranded out of sight and earshot of passersby.

Twenty minutes later, Letter Carrier Michael O’Neill arrived to deliver Zimmerman’s mail — as he’s done for 16 years — and discovered her.

The Postal Service employee carried the customer inside, wrapped her in blankets, helped her contact family members and stayed with her until they arrived to provide further assistance.

“I held on to him like he was my husband or something,” Zimmerman later told the local ABC station. “I was so happy to see a human being.”

“She’s a sweet, sweet person,” O’Neill said. “I was just doing my job.”

Zimmerman explained that she contacted the local Post Office to recognize O’Neill for a simple reason: “I think it’s nice for everybody to see there are such good people.”

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