"My husband is not feeling well..." He had been dead for several days. The postman discovered the tragedy at the retirement home.
For years, postman Aleksander Wąs had been delivering parcels to an elderly couple in the Azores region of Krakow. On Wednesday, April 9th, thanks to his extraordinary empathy and vigilance, they discovered the tragic situation and provided assistance to the retiree, who suffered from dementia. She didn't even realize that her husband, who had been lying in their bedroom, had been dead for several days.
Aleksander Wąs works at the Kraków 23 post office. He's a passionate man who personally knows many customers in his delivery area. That day, he had to deliver a package to an elderly man he'd known for a long time. Unfortunately, despite repeated calls and knocks, no one answered the door. This worried Mr. Aleksander. Knowing that elderly people might suddenly need help, he went to a neighbor's house to check with her if anything had happened.
A moment later, they returned to the retirees' apartment together. The door was unlocked. When they entered, they found the recipient's wife—the elderly woman was visibly disoriented, saying that "her husband is not feeling well and has been in bed for several days."
Mr. Aleksander entered the bedroom and discovered with horror that the man had been dead – probably for several days. Shocked but remaining calm, the postman immediately called the appropriate authorities.
" It was a very difficult moment. The client, suffering from advanced dementia, likely didn't realize her husband was already dead. She lived with him in the apartment, not asking anyone for help, not understanding what had happened, " Mr. Aleksander recounts.
Emergency medical services and police arrived at the scene. The scene was secured, and the pensioner was placed under the care of doctors and social services. Her health required immediate intervention—she was dehydrated and disoriented. Thanks to Mr. Aleksander's vigilance, the elderly woman was provided with care and protected from further danger.
" This situation once again proves how important the postman's role is in the local community, " emphasizes Marzena Pawlik-Papież, team leader at UP Kraków 23. "Postmen don't just deliver packages. They know people, they know when something's wrong. And they're often the first to notice dramas that might otherwise go unnoticed."
The hero himself remains humble. " I only did what every human being should do. Deliveries are one thing, but for me, these people are neighbors, acquaintances. I know them, so when something isn't right , I react. It's simply the right thing to do."
The tragic event in the Krakow tenement building is a painful lesson about loneliness and the need for social support. It's also a reminder of the crucial role played by people like Mr. Aleksander, proving that a postman isn't just a deliverer of packages, but often one of the few people who regularly visits elderly people and cares about their well-being.