A Postal Service employee delivering mail in St. Petersburg, FL, rushed to the aid of a customer who suffered a massive heart attack last fall during a walk with his dog.
After the man, Happy Rideout, collapsed, Letter Carrier Thomas Phillips started administering CPR while another witness called 911.
Phillips was soon joined by a nurse who was driving by, and they performed chest compressions until emergency responders arrived.
It was months later, though, until Phillips learned of Rideout’s fate, via a note attached to a mailbox in the neighborhood: “If you are the mailman that saved my life, please ring the doorbell. You are my angel.”
After a long recovery, Rideout pieced together the events of the day, eventually identifying the trio of first responders and thanking them in person.
“There’s no words to express the gratitude,” he told the local CBS station during coverage of the reunion.