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Having been lying on the floor of her Gayton home with a faulty heart for hours, a 78-year-old woman was indebted to her postman for saving her life.
Jennifer Eaton, of Lime Kiln Road, passed out during the night and lay helpless without being able to move to call an ambulance.
It was only after crying out to her postman when he was delivering letters that she was finally relieved after “four to eight hours”.
Jason Rees, a postman who lives in Narborough, called the ambulance and comforted Ms Eaton by providing her with water, a blanket and a pillow to lay on.
Ms Eaton was then promptly taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by the ambulance service, where she stayed for five days, before being transferred to the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge for a heart operation.
She said: “There was no one else due to visit me and I live on my own.
“I was lying there with my mobile phone within six inches to one side and my landline on the other, but I just could not reach them.
“I was snookered. He [Jason] kept me going and it was the most marvellous feeling to know I was saved.
“It was like bliss to have a pillow and it was like falling on clouds.
“The floor was so hard so it was nice to have that and a fur blanket.
“He was absolutely fantastic and made me feel better when I could easily have died.
“I really think he needs some mention.”
Ms Eaton said she was unable to remember what happened, but believesshe was unconscious for at least four hours.
Having regained consciousness at 10am, she was able to attract Mr Rees’ attention at about 10.30am.
Fortunately the front door was unlocked at the time.
Mr Rees said: “I went to put the letters through the door and I could hear someone shouting for help.
“She was directly behind the door and had taken a bad fall in the hallway.
“I thought she had just fallen over and did not know that she had been there for a while.
“I was hoping I had strong enough signal to phone 111. She started shaking and I assumed she was in shock. The ambulance arrived within 10 minutes.”
Mr Rees, 50, said Ms Eaton was dazed and had a grazed forehead. He did not know she had suffered a heart attack at the time.
“It was just fortunate she had mail that morning,” Mr Rees continued.
“It was instinct as I knew she was in distress and I tried to get her as comfortable as possible.
“I am just pleased she is okay.”
Ms Eaton told the Lynn News she is still very ill and requires a constant supply of oxygen for her heart.
The incident took place on Monday, January 27 and Ms Eaton returned home on Friday, February 21 after spending four weeks in hospital.
Ms Eaton said: “My daughter arrived shortly after the ambulance and wrote a letter to thank him for helping me.”
Matthew Lomax, Swaffham delivery office manager said: “Jason is a great guy and a terrific postman.
“His quick thinking has led to Mrs Eaton getting the help that she desperately needed, and we are really proud of his commitment to his customers and to his community.”
And a Royal Mail spokesperson added: “Jason’s actions demonstrate exactly why our postmen and women are such highly valued members of their local communities.
“We are proud of the work our people do in the community, which often goes far beyond simply delivering mail and parcels.”
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