- THIS IS AN AMAZING STORY.
OUR NEXT GUEST IS A MAILMAN WHO BECAME A HERO
WHEN HE SAVED THE LIFE OF A ONE-YEAR-OLD BABY
ON HIS DELIVERY ROUTE.
FROM GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA,
PLEASE WELCOME STEPHANIE AND HER SON ELI
AND THE MAILMAN WHO CAME TO THE RESCUE, CHRIS.
STEPHANIE, TELL EVERYBODY WHAT HAPPENED.
- WELL, IT WAS A FRIDAY AFTERNOON,
AND ELI HAD BEEN SICK THAT DAY.
AND HE WAS JUST SNACKING ON SOME PUFFS
AND SOMEHOW GOT THE WRAPPING OFF OF THE CONTAINER,
AND SO I HAD JUST TURNED MY BACK FOR A SECOND,
AND HE HAD TORN OFF A PIECE WITH HIS TEETH.
- OF THE PLASTIC. - OF THE PLASTIC.
- SO MY IMMEDIATE--WAS, I TRIED TO STICK MY FINGER
IN THERE AND SWOOP IT OUT,
BUT I WAS VERY CAUTIOUS,
BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO PUSH IT BACK TOO FAR.
AND SO HE SWALLOWED IT AND STARTED CHOKING.
AND SO I JUST TURNED HIM AROUND
AND STARTED BEATING HIM ON THE BACK
BETWEEN HIS SHOULDER BLADES,
BUT IT WASN'T COMING OUT,
AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHEN I STARTED TO PANIC.
- YEAH, I CAN'T IMAGINE A SCARIER THING.
YOU'RE BY YOURSELF WITH YOUR BABY,
AND YOUR BABY'S CHOKING.
- YEAH.
- AND IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW LONG.
IF IT WAS 30 SECONDS OR 10 SECONDS OR--
IT JUST MUST FEEL LIKE AN ETERNITY.
- YEAH, IT DID. IT DID.
- SO THEN YOU THOUGHT YOUR HUSBAND WAS COMING HOME.
- YEAH, SO I--WHENEVER I WAS PATTING HIM ON THE BACK,
I THOUGHT I HAD HEARD MY HUSBAND PULL UP,
SO I WAS RUNNING TOWARDS THE DOOR.
AND THIS PROBABLY HAD ONLY BEEN MAYBE TEN SECONDS AT MOST.
AND SO I RAN OUT THE DOOR, SCREAMING FOR HELP,
AND IT WAS OUR MAILMAN, WHO I HAD NEVER MET BEFORE.
- YOU'VE NEVER MET HIM BEFORE. - NO.
- [chuckles]
- COMING TOWARDS MY DOOR.
SO I WAS JUST SCREAMING FOR HELP,
AND THERE HE WAS.
- SO, CHRIS, YOU SEE A WOMAN RUNNING OUT,
SCREAMING AND HOLDING A BABY.
- RIGHT.
- AND I THINK SHE JUST PUT HIM IN YOUR ARMS.
OR WHAT HAPPENED?
- WELL, THE FIRST IMPRESSION I GOT
WHEN I FIRST SEEN HER RUNNING OUT,
I THOUGHT TO RUN,
BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING,
IF SOMEONE WAS BEHIND HER, SO...
BUT THEN REALLY SERIOUSLY, WHEN SHE SCREAMED AND SHE SAID,
"MY BABY'S NOT BREATHING. THE BABY'S CHOKING,"
I WAS LIKE-- I JUST SAID, "WHAT?"
AND SHE SAID, "HE'S NOT BREATHING.
HE'S CHOKING. HELP ME."
AND SO NEXT THING I KNOW, HE WAS KIND OF IN MY ARMS,
AND I TOOK MY TWO FINGERS,
'CAUSE I KNEW HE WAS KIND OF SMALL.
SO I STARTED GIVING HIM THE COMPRESSIONS,
AND THE FIRST FIVE THAT I DID,
IT--I DIDN'T FEEL ANYTHING.
AND I KNEW BABIES BREATHE THROUGH THEIR DIAPHRAGM A LOT,
AND IT WAS JUST NOTHING.
SO I SAID, "I GOT TO DO IT AGAIN."
I DID IT AGAIN, AND THAT FIFTH PUMP,
IT JUST-- EVERYTHING JUST CAME OUT.
AND THEN HIS EYES GOT KIND OF BIG,
AND HE LOOKED AT ME.
I GUESS HE SAID, "HEY, YOU'RE NOT MY MOMMY."
[laughter]
HE JUST STARTED WAILING, AND I WAS LIKE--
IT SOUNDED LIKE MUSIC TO MY EARS,
LIKE MARVIN GAYE OR SOMETHING.
[applause]
- WHAT A BLESSING THAT WAS.
THE TIMING OF THAT, THAT YOU--
I MEAN, HOW LONG HAD YOU BEEN ON YOUR SHIFT
AT THAT POINT?
- WHAT HAPPENED WAS, EARLIER,
ABOUT 30 MINUTES EARLIER, I RECEIVED HELP
FROM ANOTHER CARRIER NAMED ANGEL,
AND SHE CAME AND TOOK SOME OF MY MAIL,
AND THAT DELAYED ME ABOUT THREE OR FOUR MINUTES.
AND IT JUST HAPPENED.
THAT TIMING WAS JUST-- GOD JUST SET IT UP.
- IT CERTAINLY WAS. IT ABSOLUTELY WAS.
THAT WAS JUST A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT.
BECAUSE YOU DO HAVE TO BE CAREFUL.
BECAUSE THEY'RE SO TINY, YOU CAN'T COMPRESS TOO HARD,
OR ELSE YOU'RE GONNA BREAK A RIB.
WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU HAD TRAINING IN THIS?
- WOW, WELL, I FIRST LEARNED IN THE MILITARY,
WHICH WAS MAYBE 25 YEARS AGO, IN THE MARINE CORPS.
AND LIKE I SAID, IT WASN'T ME.
I BELIEVE IT WAS A HIGHER FORCE THAT JUST GUIDED ME,
AND THE ANCESTORS JUST MADE ME BE CALM,
'CAUSE I WAS VERY CALM.
AND AFTER HE STARTED BREATHING AND HE STARTED CRYING,
I SAID, "MOM, HE'S OKAY. HE'S OKAY.
HE'S BREATHING," AND SHE WAS JUST LIKE,
YOU KNOW, REALLY JUST HUGGING HIM,
AND, "THANK YOU SO MUCH," AND SO--
- YEAH, YOU MUST'VE SAT ON THE FLOOR AND CRIED
FOR A LONG TIME AFTER HE LEFT.
- I DID.
- WELL, IT WAS DIVINE INTERVENTION FOR SURE.
THAT WAS A BEAUTIFUL THING.
DON'T EVER LET ANOTHER MAIL CARRIER BE ON YOUR ROUTE...
- NO, NEVER.
- BECAUSE THIS IS THE GUY THAT YOU WANT.
WE GOT YOU A GIFT, STEPHANIE.
PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW-- - YES!
[laughs]
[applause]
- THAT'S YOUR NEW MAILBOX. - THAT IS AWESOME.
- ALL RIGHT? - LOOK, ELI.
[laughs]
- THAT'S YOUR NEW MAILBOX.
SO CHRIS IS A GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE.
OF COURSE WE WERE DYING TO HELP YOU IN ANY WAY.
WE WANTED--WE WANT TO SHOWER YOU WITH GIFTS,
BUT YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO RECEIVE A GIFT OVER $20,
WHICH IS CRAZY.
IT SEEMS SO UNFAIR.
BUT OUR TICKETS HERE ARE FREE,
AND IN DECEMBER, WE HAVE REALLY FUN SHOWS,
AND SO WE THOUGHT MAYBE WE'D BRING YOU BACK
TO ONE OF THOSE SHOWS IN DECEMBER,
WHERE IT'S THE 12 DAYS OF GIVEAWAYS.
- THAT'D BE GREAT.
[cheers and applause]
- ALL RIGHT.
MAYBE YOU SHOULD COME BACK WITH HIM TOO.
- OH, WELL, YEAH, SURE.
- SO, YEAH, Y'ALL SHOULD COME BACK,
SO WE'LL SEE Y'ALL BACK HERE FOR 12 DAYS OF GIVEAWAYS
IN DECEMBER.
THANKS SO MUCH. - YES.
- THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR STORY.