Grateful Illinois man invites postal worker who saved his life to Thanksgiving dinner

An Illinois man is giving a whole lot of thanks to a stranger-turned-hero this holiday.

A US postal worker rushed to the aid of an elderly man who fell and hit his head while on a walk – now the pair of former strangers will celebrate Thanksgiving together as a family. 

Jaylen Lockhart was working his regular postal route in Aurora, Illinois, on Saturday when he spotted Guy Miller, 75, take a nasty fall and bash his head on the ground while out walking his dog, Bentley, according to local reports.

The selfless worker immediately turned his mail truck around and rushed to the side of a bloodied Miller, applying pressure to his head wound as he called 911 and flagged down neighbors to help. Lockhart, 26, then raced to Miller’s home to notify his wife before finishing his route.

“No matter where you are, no matter what you’re doing, you always have time to stop and help,” Lockhart, who has worked for USPS for about a year, told The Washington Post.

“Beautiful things can happen.”

Miller, who has diabetes, suffered minor bruising from the fall but said he remembered losing his balance and struggling to get back up before Lockhart came to his aid, according to reports.

Once a stranger, Miller now considers Lockhart family.

“It’s kind of a bad thing that this is how I got to know Jaylen, but in a good sense, it’s a good thing,” Miller told Good Morning America.

“Because I gained another friend.”

With so much to be thankful for, Miller and his wife, Marcia, invited Lockhart and his loved ones to join them for Thanksgiving – an invitation he graciously accepted.

“This isn’t the end; this is just the beginning of a longtime friendship, family relationship,” Marcia Miller told The Washington Post.

“It is just incredible.”

In addition to his new extended family, Lockhart was awarded the Mayor’s Award for Service on Sunday, and also helped light the city’s official Christmas tree during the Aurora Winter Lights Fest. 

The mayor of Aurora also declared Aug. 29 – Lockhart’s birthday – as “Jaylen Lockhart Day” in the city. 

“Jaylen’s quick-thinking, selfless actions helped to save the day,” the city of Aurora wrote in a Facebook post.