A Buffalo woman has been deemed a hero after she saved the life of a 64-year-old man who was trapped outside during the deadly blizzard that devastated Buffalo on Christmas Eve.
Sha’Kyra Aughtry heard Joe White yelling in distress outside of her Buffalo home. According to CNN, Aughtry looked out of the window and saw the 64-year-old man struggling in the frigid conditions. The woman’s partner weathered the dangerous temperatures outside to carry White into their house. The mentally-disabled man has the IQ of a ten-year-old boy.
In a Facebook live, Aughtry described White’s frostbitten body. She referenced his blistered hands and admitted that she was fearful because of the 64-year-old man’s deteriorating condition. She also said in the video that she had to keep the situation private but had run out of options. Aughtry described how scared her children were as well. And the home where he lived hadn’t sent provisions.
“WE NEED HELPI have a 64-year-old special needs man with frostbite on both of his hands and has turn into Gangrene. We have had him since yesterday at 6:37 am. We brought him into our home. PLEASE GET HIM SO HELP He is scared. I am scared his life is in my hands. It’s nothing else I can do HELP. I have called 911!!!!! WE NEED HELP
HE IS A RESIDENT OF COMMUNITY SERVICES HOUSE ON PARKRIDGE PLEASE GET HIM SO HELP HE COULD DIE FROM THIS Please Share for HELP,” she captioned the video.
In the 15-minute video, she also said, “His hands had iceballs. I’m going crazy because I’m scared. I’m starting to see his body change too much from the time that I had him — his body has changed rapidly every hour. I’ve called the National Guard. I’ve called 911. I’ve called everybody — they just keep telling me I’m on a list. I don’t want to be on a list. I don’t care about nothing else. This man is not about to die over here.”
The brave woman had managed to warm him up by using her hair dryer– though she didn’t know the extent of the damage White had already sustained. Aughtry also utilized a “grasscutter” to take the rings from his finger. She detailed that a neighbor had cooked food for the man.
Finally, a Christmas miracle happened when men in a truck with snow tires showed up to transport White and Aughtry to the hospital. The heroic woman assured the frightened man that she wasn’t leaving his side. Aughtry thanked the helpful men who braved the treacherous conditions. The mother of three caught that moment on video as well.
As a result of her lifesaving efforts, Chris Dearing (one of White’s coworkers at the North Park Theater in Buffalo) launched a GoFundMe for Aughtry.
“Hi, my name is Chris Dearing, and I work with the North Park Theatre in Buffalo, NY. Around noon on Christmas Eve, Sha’Kyra called to let me know she opened her home early that morning to Joe White, my friend and North Park employee of ~40 years, after he appeared in a daze outside her door, crying out for help,” he wrote.
“His hands were brutally frostbitten, and emergency vehicles had no way of reaching her location. Without hesitation, she put aside her family’s plans for Christmas and treated his sores as best she could,” Dearing revealed.
“As the storm wound down, she rallied the support of strangers online, and she found a way to get Joe to ECMC. Without her generous spirit and fierce determination to get Joe help, my friend would be dead.”
“Sha’Kyra did all of this without any thought of reward, but she deserves one, and so does her family. She’s a hard-working young mother, and I want to show her at least a fraction of the support she gave my friend Joe,” Dearing concluded.
Of the $20,000 ask, Aughtry’s kind actions have earned her almost $135,000 in donations.
White, who has been a theater employee for 40 years, also had a GoFundMe launched on his behalf by Dearing.
“During the December blizzard of 2022, my friend and North Park employee of ~40 years– Joe White, suffered severe frostbite on his hands.’
He continued, “Joe is mentally disabled, and he did not understand the true severity of the storm. Disoriented and crying out for help, he miraculously found himself at the doorstep of Sha’Kyra Rain Aughtry—a total stranger—who put her Christmas plans aside and tended to his wounds the best she could.”
“We couldn’t be there for him that night in the snow, but we can be there for him now.”
The 64-year-old man has earned almost $78,000 on his GoFundMe.
The Buffalo blizzard has a death toll of 37 so far– but we’re grateful that Aughtry was an angel for White.
