The catastrophic blizzard that hit Buffalo over the Christmas weekend took too many lives.
At least 37 people lost their lives in Erie County, New York, while 25 others across 11 US states have also been reported as deceased.
The city of Buffalo was buried in 52 inches of snow, which made it impossible for emergency services to reach people who needed their help.
Thankfully, there are still good people out there, who won’t even hesitate to take in a stranger and save their life.
This is exactly what happened in the case of Joe White two days ago.
The man, as his friend and co-worker Chris Dearing explained in a GoFundMe he started for Joe, is mentally disabled and this is why he failed to understand the severity of the storm when he headed to work on Christmas Eve.
Joe has been working with the North Park Theatre in Buffalo, NY, for about 40 years.
So that day, just like any other day, he made his way to work.
Only he found himself in the middle of the snowstorm and, apparently, decided to return home.
Confused as he was, and suffering in the freezing temperatures, he soon got stuck in the middle of the street, not knowing what to do.
All he could do at that moment was cry for help in hopes that someone would listen to him and save his life.
Indeed, a woman living closeby noticed a figure in the snow and asked her boyfriend if he thought it would be a good idea to take him in.
The couple didn’t have to think twice.
They both knew what the right thing to do was.
They brought Joe inside. The man was in a sobering condition.
“He was practically frozen,” Sha’Kyra Rain Aughtry told WGRZ-TV. “His pants were frozen, his shoes were frozen.”
The mother of three had to help him take off his clothes, clean him up and give him warm clothes and blankets to help him warm up.
She tried to make sure he was comfortable. She and her boyfriend even had to cut his ring as he was losing circulation.
Sha’Kyra called Joe’s sister to let her know her brother was okay and in good hands.
They even FaceTimed him to keep him occupied and forget the pain from his frostbitten hands.
In the meantime, Aughtry treated his hands guided by a nurse friend on the phone.
As the hours passed, the woman noticed that his hands were getting gangrene and that he needed to be taken to the hospital.
So, he used social media to call neighbors for help.
Indeed, neighbors selflessly helped the man get out of the house and took him to the nearest hospital.
Sha’Kyra was right by his side the whole time so he would feel safe.
Doctors are still not sure what is going to happen to his hands, but he already feels better.
As for Sha’Kyra, she was hailed as a hero for her kindness, while her children are looking forward to seeing Joe again!
You can watch the woman talk about this incredible story in the video below.
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