The kindness of strangers: Buffalo woman saves life of mentally-disabled man, 64, caught in historic blizzard by bringing him into her home and cutting off clothes and plastic bag straps that FROZE to his skin
- Sha’Kyra Aughtry found Joey White, 64, suffering from severe frostbite
- The theater worker was found outside her Buffalo home during the blizzard
- White works at The North Park Theater and his sister believes he stayed there overnight on Thursday and then tried to walk back home when he got stuck
- He was ‘so frozen they had to cut his socks off, use a hairdryer to dry his pants that were frozen to his legs, and cut the straps of a Wegmans bag from his hands’
- A GoFundMe has been set up for the North Park employee of 40 years
A mother of three is being called a ‘true angel in Buffalo’ after she saved the life of a mentally disabled man who got caught in last week’s historic blizzard.
As the deadly storm slammed several parts of the country over the holiday weekend killing at least 64 people, Sha’Kyra Aughtry was at her home in Buffalo, New York when she heard someone yelling for help on the morning of Christmas Eve.
Aughtry and her boyfriend Trent found Joey ‘Joe’ White, a 64-year-old mentally disabled, local movie theater worker outside in a snow bank and suffering from severe frostbite, according to her social media posts and the GoFundMe set up for White.
White was covered in snow and was ‘so frozen they had to cut his socks off, use a hairdryer to dry his pants that were frozen to his legs, and cut the straps of a Wegmans bag from his hands.’
The couple used giant shearing clippers to cut a ring off his finger, which was swollen and turning black from apparent gangrene, it was reported. White suffered terrible fourth-degree burns, and is receiving specialist treatment. But he would almost certainly have died had Aughtry not stepped in to help.
A mother of three is being called a ‘true angel in Buffalo’ after she saved the life of a mentally disabled man who got caught in last week’s historic blizzard that has killed at least 70 people
White’s rescue by a total stranger in the midst of the worst blizzard in Buffalo’s history went viral after Kimberly LaRussa, a blogger who writes about feel-good stories on ‘Sweet Buffalo’, posted the story and photos online.
At least 32 deaths in the Buffalo area have been confirmed by local officials as of Tuesday, which surpasses the death toll from the Blizzard of ’77.
The dead were found in cars, homes and snowbanks as the storm continued to bombard the city with snow on Tuesday.
White was in the burn unit of Erie County Medical Center, according to The Buffalo News, who spoke with his sister Yvonne White.
‘I just got off the phone with him. He seems extremely weak. His hands have fourth-degree frostbite,’ she said. ‘We’re hoping and praying this will work out for the best.’
Yvonne White received news of her brother’s rescue when she got a call from Aughtry on Christmas Eve.
‘Hi, you don’t know me but I have your brother,’ Aughtry told White’s sister on the phone.
According to Aughtry’s social media posts and videos, she saw the man from her window during the massive storm on Saturday morning.
Aughtry and her boyfriend Trent found Joey ‘Joe’ White, a 64-year-old mentally disabled, local movie theater worker outside in a snow bank and suffering from severe frostbite
White was covered in snow and was ‘so frozen they had to cut his socks off, use a hairdryer to dry his pants that were frozen to his legs, and cut the straps of a Wegmans bag from his hands’
Aughtry and her family took care of Joe White throughout Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day, feeding him pancakes and Pepsi, as he stayed warm on their couch
She sent her boyfriend Trent out to help and he came back carrying the feeble man, who they eventually learned was called ‘Joe’ and that he was 64 years old.
He couldn’t tell Aughtry his address, but remembered his sister’s number, and Aughtry called her to let her know they had found him.
His sister later said that White is developmentally disabled and has the mental capacity of an 11-year-old child, The Buffalo News reported.
‘He can read, somewhat. He’s very sociable,’ Yvonne White said. ‘He likes talking to people, likes meeting people, very outgoing.’
Yvonne told the outlet that her brother lives in a group home on Parkridge Avenue, just a few blocks from Aughtry and works at the North Park Theatre. She said she believes he went to work – a job he’s had since he was 17 – out of habit, and then tried to walk home in the storm.
When she got the call he had been found, they made several calls to 911, but first responders weren’t able to get there.
Aughtry spoke to a doctor from Rochester via videoconference who saw White’s severe frostbite and said he needed to be taken to a hospital.
White’s frostbite was so severe that his hands were swollen and the couple had to use giant shearing clippers to cut a ring off his finger, which was turning black from apparent gangrene
Aughtry posted a plea on Facebook for help and with the help of neighbors and kind strangers, their driveway was plowed and they were able to get White to the hospital
She said: ‘We’ve got to get some help. He has gangrene on his hands. … He’s going to lose his fingers. I don’t know what to do. Y’all need to share this. … Nobody has been here’
But they were stuck at their home and unable to get out due to the raging storm outside. So Aughtry and her family took care of White throughout Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day, feeding him pancakes and Pepsi.
Aughtry posted a plea on Facebook for help and with the help of neighbors and kind strangers, their driveway was plowed and they were able to get White to the hospital.
‘I’ve had this man since 6:37 yesterday morning. Nobody has been here to help this man,’ she said.
‘This is what his hands is looking like. We’ve got to get some help. He has gangrene on his hands. … He’s going to lose his fingers. I don’t know what to do. Y’all need to share this. … Nobody has been here. I called the National Guard. I have called 911. I’ve called everybody and they keep telling me, I’m on the list. I don’t want to be on the list.’
Aughtry rode with White to the hospital telling him, ‘Look at me, Joe. Don’t cry. Don’t cry … We’re friends for life now.’
With the help of others, they were able to plow their driveway and take White to the hospital. Aughtry told him: ‘Look at me, Joe. Don’t cry. Don’t cry … We’re friends for life now’
Yvonne White said she couldn’t be more grateful to Aughtry for taking care of her brother
Yvonne White told The Buffalo News she couldn’t be more grateful to Aughtry for taking care of her brother.
‘Strangers helping. People loving each other. What Sha’kyra did? Feeding him. Bathing him. Helping him go to the bathroom on Christmas Eve and Christmas. It’s just astronomical,’ she said.
GoFundMe pages has been set up for White and Aughtry. White’s sister encouraged people to send get well cards to her brother at the hospital: Joe White in Room 1956, at ECMC, 462 Grider Street, Buffalo, NY 14215. Room 1956.
Dignitaries in Eerie County warned that both military and state police would be stationed throughout the city of Buffalo to enforce a driving ban that has been in place since Friday
Snow-covered vehicles in Buffalo following the winter storm that has rocked the United States. Buffalo so far has borne the brunt of the bad weather
Families in western New York are now scrambling to find food and other essentials before roads are fully off-limits – while others have taken to looting amid the unrest.
During a news conference on Tuesday, dignitaries in Eerie County warned that both military and state police would be stationed throughout the state’s second-largest city to enforce a driving ban that has already been in place since Friday.
The rest of the United States also was reeling from the ferocious winter storm, with at least an additional two dozen deaths reported in other parts of the country, and power outages in communities from Maine to Washington state.
The winter blast stranded some people in cars for days, shuttered the city’s airport and left some residents shivering without heat. More than 4,000 homes and businesses were still without power late Tuesday morning.
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