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Woman Saved by Postal Worker After Being Trapped in Bathtub for 5 Days

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It was a crisp October day when a postal worker became concerned that something wasn’t quite right at a Michigan woman’s home.

He noticed the woman’s overflowing mailbox, indicating she hadn’t collected her mail in quite a few days. Concerned, the postal worker turned to the woman’s neighbors for information.

The neighbors sprang into action, circling Alison Gibson’s home, yelling through windows to see if she was inside.

Emotions ran high as Gibson’s worried voice called back to them, explaining that she had been stuck in her bathtub for five days.

Police officers quickly arrived on the scene and helped the 54-year-old out of the tub and to a hospital, where she stayed for four days.

Gibson was released from the hospital and is back home, thankful for the alertness of the postal worker and the neighbors who came to her rescue.

Gibson explained that she’d been in her tub when she found herself unable to reach the handrail to climb out. She struggled to get up, to no avail.

Do you have a neighbors who will look out for you?

For five long days, Gibson sat in her tub, alone, battling hunger, worry and cold temperatures.

“When I got cold, I ran the hot water,” she told Inside Edition. “And when I got thirsty, I ran the cold water and drank the cold water out of my hand.”

Lansing Police Chief Stacey Wilburn was one of the officers to respond to the heartbreaking scene. After five long days alone in the tub, Gibson was incredibly grateful to see her rescue team.

“In the bathroom when we opened the door the back of it was covered in mold,” Wilburn said. “The floors were soaking wet, the paint on the walls was bubbling from all of the moisture and actually the ceiling was dripping wet.”

Gibson is doing OK after her ordeal and said she plans to install a walk-in tub to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

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Gibson’s story is a reminder of the importance of living in a community and watching out for one another.

Thanks to the watchful eyes and appropriate actions of her postal worker, Gibson’s story has a happy ending.

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A graduate of Grand Canyon University, Kim Davis has been writing for The Western Journal since 2015, focusing on lifestyle stories.
Kim Davis began writing for The Western Journal in 2015. Her primary topics cover family, faith, and women. She has experience as a copy editor for the online publication Thoughtful Women. Kim worked as an arts administrator for The Phoenix Symphony, writing music education curriculum and leading community engagement programs throughout the region. She holds a degree in music education from Grand Canyon University with a minor in eating tacos.
Birthplace
Page, Arizona
Education
Bachelor of Science in Music Education
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Lifestyle & Human Interest




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