Brian Sharp has been delivering newspapers to Fresno resident Ann Loepich for 17 years and knows her routine well. So when the 86-year-old failed to retrieve papers for days last month, he knew something was wrong. Sharp called Sheriff’s Department officials on June 26 in an act of concern and kindness that saved the elderly woman’s life.
When deputies entered the home, they found Loepich on the floor, dehydrated and incapacitated. She was immediately taken to a nearby hospital where doctors were able to save her in the nick of time.
The delivery man’s actions have not gone unnoticed. On Thursday, Sharp will appear before the city council and Mayor Ashley Swearengin to be recognized with a proclamation declaring July 30 Brian Sharp Day in Fresno.
“Brian did an extraordinary thing,” said Council Member Clint Olivier, who represents Loeprich’s district. “All he had to do was throw a newspaper, but instead he got involved and saved a life, and that makes him a hero and he deserves to be recognized by the community.”
Sharp is appreciative of the gesture but says he finds the commendation to be a little over-the-top.
“If you talked to my wife and kids about it, they’d say I didn’t do anything special because that’s how they were brought up and that’s how I was brought up,” said Sharp. “I just did what I knew I needed to do.”
Sharp also questioned why July 30 wasn’t given a more generic title like “Random Act of Kindness Day.”
It seems the humble delivery man will have to ride out his newfound fame for a little longer. In addition to Thursday’s recognition, the Red Cross Central Valley Region is trying to get Sharp nominated for the Good Samaritan Hero Award at the annual Fresno Real Heroes event to be held in the spring of 2016.