A sanitation worker in Missouri was caught on camera going out of his way to help an 88-year-old woman with dementia on Tuesday.
Colette Kingston of Kansas City told Fox News on Wednesday that she had a Ring security camera installed on her mother’s home in nearby Independence, Mo., so she could check on her mother, Opal Zucca, who has dementia.
“I get a notification on my phone when there is movement in her driveway,” Kingston said.
When she got an alert Tuesday afternoon, Kingston looked at the video and saw a sanitation worker holding her mother’s hand, walking with her up the driveway.
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“He was bringing up her trash can and just helping her walk up the driveway,” Kingston said. “It made me teary-eyed to see that someone would be so compassionate and caring.”
The sanitation worker, identified as Billy Shelby with Waste Management, was heard laughing with Zucca in the video.
“It’s good to see you,” Shelby told Zucca.
“It’s good seeing you too,” she responded. “God bless you as always, darling.”
He added, “Looking good. I like that hair. I got to work on mine.”
The gesture was “sweet and emotional,” Kingston said, and she appreciated it — especially because her mother tripped and hit her head while trying to retrieve the trash can in January.
Kingston said she had seen Shelby before on the camera helping her mother with the garbage.
“I’ve noticed him a few times on the camera returning the trash can, but not to this personal extent,” she said. “It’s like his own grandmother that he’s helping, like one of his family members.”
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Kingston said her mother looked forward to seeing Shelby every week and even would say a prayer for him when he came by.
“Just thanking God that he’s there doing his part to help her,” Kingston said.
She was able to identify the kind sanitation worker through the help of Facebook, Kingston pointed out.
“My niece posted it in several groups saying, ‘Does anybody know who this is?’ And then, one of her friends who works for Waste Management said she would help us, and then one of his close friends actually reached out to me,” Kingston explained.
Shelby came to Zucca’s house on Wednesday night, and Kingston got the opportunity to thank him in person.
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Kingston said Shelby and her family will attend a Kansas City Chiefs football game together next month. She’s coordinating with the team, which donated the tickets, to ensure he has a memorable experience.
“Knowing that somebody else would care for a stranger like they would their own family member, it reminds me that there are lots of good people still around,” Kingston said, adding that she thought Shelby and her mother will have a lasting friendship.
