Tonya has been working in Peterman since 2003, where she has enjoyed getting to know her customers and hearing their stories.
For example, recently, a customer named Tommy came in the Post Office to ask if anyone had seen his missing dog, Auby. He was worried because Auby is diabetic and needs daily insulin shots. A few days later, he returned to the Post Office to let everyone know that Auby was home safe and sound, thanks to having been found by a customer named Marsha, who, as luck would have it, is also a diabetic.
Tonya often works late into the afternoon to finish up her daily reports, and if customers have packages waiting, Tonya watches for them and gives them their mail, even though the window unit has already been closed for the day.
On this day, the customer named Marsha came in late to pick up her package. 20 minutes later, Tonya was ready to call it a day herself. On her way out the door, she grabbed her keys and the three pieces of candy that she had purchased at lunch for her children.
“As a matter a fact, I had stopped at a gas station on my lunch break, and the three candies was the only purchase I made Anyone who knows me knows that I am a bit of a health/exercise fanatic, so I rarely buy my children candy and never keep sweets at the office,” Tonya said.
Once outside, she noticed a parked by the blue box that was wedged between the curb and a light pole. As she got closer, she noticed that Marsha was inside the running vehicle and that the bumper was stuck on top of the curb.
Tonya opened the driver’s side door and asked Marsha if she was okay, but all she received in return was a blank stare. “I have a grandfather who also has diabetes and have seen this blank look before,” said Tonya.
Immediately, she called for an ambulance before saying, “"Marsha, I think your blood sugar is low. I need for you to try and eat this candy, “which was the same candy that she had randomly bought for her children earlier that day.
Marsha ate all three pieces, and when the ambulance arrived, her blood sugar level was still only 25 (90-120 is considered a normal blood sugar level, and people are not supposed to drive when their levels drop below 70).
About the incident, Tonya said, “I am glad that Mr. Tommy shared the story about Auby, that I bought the candy, and that I was in the right place at the right time.”
Postmarks thanks Dave Dilbeck for letting us know about Tonya, along with Tonya Hadley herself for sharing the story and for being so conscientious and caring about the people in her community.
