In late 2017, at a certain holiday celebration in Staten Island, New York, the attendees had more to be grateful for than most.<\/p>\n
Four months ago, an 86-year-old woman named Marie Boyer fell in her home. For days, she was incapacitated, immobile. Because her windows were shut, no one could hear her cry out.<\/p>\n
On the fourth day, her regular mail carrier, Lisa Sweeney, returned from vacation and noticed something was amiss. Though she and Marie hadn\u2019t had much conversation over the years, Lisa knew her customer\u2019s habits. The pile of mail in the mailbox, untouched garbage cans by the curb and the car in the driveway were clear warning signs. She knocked on a neighbor\u2019s door, but he\u2019d been away on vacation too and didn\u2019t know anything. \u201cI just had a feeling in my heart<\/em> that Marie\u00a0was inside,\u201d Lisa recalls. She called 911 and continued on her route, but kept circling back to Marie\u2019s house until police arrived.<\/p>\n Rescuers broke in through a back window to discover Marie unconscious. Learning that Marie was still alive, Lisa burst into tears, so happy that her customer of 11 years had been rescued.<\/p>\n Since that August day, Marie has moved into an assisted-living facility, but Lisa visits her regularly and still brings her mail. They even celebrated Marie\u2019s 87th<\/sup>\u00a0\u00a0birthday<\/a> at a restaurant across the street. Lisa\u2019s son has been known to stop by to see Marie too. The bond forged that summer day continues stronger than ever.<\/p>\n