On a cold January morning, mailman Josh Hefta was going about his daily routine in Walsh County, North Dakota when his day suddenly took a shocking turn.

During his work day, Josh delivers mail to 162 delivery spots along his route, and over the years, he has gotten to know some of his customers well. One of these customers who has a special bond with Josh is 94 year-old Alice Paschke, who loved that the mailman always went the extra mile to help her. Josh would make a point of leaving her mail at her front door so that the elderly woman would not have to walk out to her mailbox to get it.

When he arrived at Alice's house on this winter morning, Josh noticed something very unusual. She would typically greet him at the door each morning and they would have a chat while she offered him a snacks to get him through the rest of his route. On this particular morning, Josh knocked on Alice's door, but nobody answered.

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Knowing that Alice was always home during the day, Josh kept knocking for a few minutes. Eventually, he heard a faint voice from inside crying for help.

That's when Josh knew he had to take action.

Finding that the door was locked, Josh broke it down to find Alice laying on the ground!

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Alice had fallen the day before and had not been able to get up. She had laid there helplessly for a staggering 20 hours before Josh finally was able to rescue her.

"I said, come in, I need help … He saved my life, and that’s a true story. For the rest of my life, for as long as my memory works, I’m going to remember," Alice recalled.

For saving Alice's life, Josh received the Postmaster General Award at the Minto Post Office, which is the highest award a postal carrier. His name was also added to the Heroes Wall at the Postal Service headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Alice has since moved to a nursing home and is no longer on Josh's postal route, but he still visits her whenever he can! Find out more about this amazing story in the video below, and SHARE this so your friends and family can see this as well!

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