"When they smile, and it's genuine, it actually picks my day up," says an enthusiastic Jerred Thill.
He's been trying to deliver smiles to his customers for the four years that he's been with the Postal Service, which is why he always has one on.
"If it's miserable out and [I'm out there] smiling, it puts a smile on their face. Not sure why it works, but it seems to work pretty good," he explains while dropping mail into a mailbox in Mason.
But the last week it's been harder than ever before.
"It's been a crazy rollercoaster," Thill states, "of people saying I've done something spectacular and I"m still trying to figure out what I did that was so spectacular."
He saved a man's life.
While he was doing his route on May 25th, Thill saw a man on his porch. When he came by again about ten minutes later--that man was purple.
He quickly started performing CPR.
"It was like something just took over and I wasn't thinking anymore," describes a somber Thill.
He was doing CPR until the paramedics showed up a few minutes later.
"I was listening to the paramedic who showed up who tells me what I did was a good thing and probably saved his life," Thill states, "that's kind of powerful coming from the guy that does it for a living."
The man's family, and many on Thill's mail route agree, and they've stamped him a hero.
"He's our family's hero," lauds Ida O'Brian the daughter of the man Thill saved.
But he doesn't like that title...
"That one I'm not used to. I live for smiles, I love making smiles on people's faces and I live for that, but a hero? Not so much."
The man's family says it's a label that's going to stick.
"I told him sorry, but he earned it," laughs O'Brian.
All Thill wants? What he's always delivered for.
"She was thanking me and she says she wanted to get me something, but what do you get a guy that saves someone's life? I said just smiles, and apparently a hug cause it worked pretty good."
Thill says CPR training is what made this possible. He thinks everyone should get trained. For information on how you can get trained you can click here.
