How a Woman’s Extraordinary Kindness Saved a Disabled Man’s Life

He showed up outside her home during the last month’s winter storm in New York

When kindness allies with a keen presence of mind, it can perform extraordinary feats of courage.

Many people lost their lives during Buffalo’s Christmas Eve blizzard. Some others were lucky to be saved by compassionate rescuers.

Here is a story of how a mentally disabled man lost his way in the winter storm and was saved by a kind woman.

Joey White, 64, was a mentally disabled person, He worked at the North Park Theatre. His employer, Ray Barker called on December 22 and told him not to report for duty as the theatre was closed during the winter storm. His sister Yvonne White also told him to stay put in the group home where he lived.

Joey White was used to following patterns in life like going to work every day. He walked to the theatre, which was about nine miles away from his home. He was frightened when he saw the theatre closed and spent the night there. He ventured out in the morning of Christmas Eve and lost his way while going back home.

He ended up outside the house of Sha’Kyra Aughtry and cried out for help. He suffered frostbite and was disoriented.

Aughtry, a mother of three children, heard his cry for help. She rushed out along with her partner.

They found Joey White lying on a snow bank. He was screaming in pain. They carried him inside their house.

She cut off his frozen socks and removed the remnants of a grocery store bag that were cemented to Joey White’s hands. They fed him hot food.

Miraculously, Joey White remembered his sister’s phone number. Aughtry contacted White’s sister, Yvonne White, and informed her that she was taking care of him. She sent photos of White’s skin, which had developed blisters.

Yvonne White could not move out of her home because of the bad weather. Joey White needed urgent medical help. Yvonne White and Aughtry tried calling 911 innumerable times, but in vain.

A desperate Aughtry posted a video on her Fascebook page. She also posted it on a local Facebook page. In the video, she explained the situation and said,

“I’ve been very private and sensitive about this situation. I have literally called everybody under the sun. I’m asking for help from whoever. This man needs serious help.”

Her neighbours saw the video and rushed to help her. They wrapped Joey White in a warm blanket and transported him to the Erie County Medical Center.

The doctors diagnosed Joey White with a fourth-degree frostbite. There was no danger to his life, thanks to Aughtry’s timely help.

Ray Barker said,

“This kind woman came out and heard a human being in deep distress and did something about it, which most people in this day and age wouldn’t necessarily do. She saved his life. Her act was an act of goodness, it was an act of charity, it was an act of empathy, it was an act of care. Joe won’t be able to express his gratitude fully, but he will feel it emotionally.”

The North Park Theatre’s staff members set up GoFundMe pages for both Joey White and Aughtry.

Yvonne White said,

“This stranger opened up her heart and opened up her home. I cannot wait to hug her. I feel that Joey and I now have a sister and a brother and three nephews. This was such a Christmas miracle.”

Final thoughts

Aughtry is an extraordinary woman who responded instinctively and compassionately to a helpless old man’s desperate cry for help. She did all she could, to relieve the old man’s suffering and to ensure he got emergency medial assistance. She exhibited a remarkable presence of mind. Her action reminds us of these beautiful lines from Jamie Tworkowski’s book “If You Feel Too Much.”

“We are only asked to love, to offer hope to the many hopeless. We don’t get to choose all the endings, but we are asked to play the rescuers. We won’t solve all mysteries and our hearts will certainly break in such a vulnerable life, but it is the best way. We were made to be lovers bold in broken places, pouring ourselves out again and again until we’re called home.”

May the Universe bless Aughtry with a life full of love and abundance!

Thanks for reading this story.

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