When 86-Yr-Old Restaurant Regular Misses 4 Lunches, Waitress Calls 911. Now, Cops Proclaim Her Hero

All of us get used to our little routines in life. Waking up and making a cup of coffee, or taking the dog out for a walk become foundational, the base off of which we build everything else.

When these patterns get interrupted, it can be upsetting and throw a wrench in our works. The more established a pattern it is, the more serious it becomes to break that pattern.

Doreen Mann, 86, has been going to the same restaurant for years, for her lunch and a glass of wine. She thought of Tomassi’s Cafe as her second home, and eating a meal there four times a week had become a cherished tradition for her.

Because she was so regular, when she didn’t show up for a few days, waitress Sonia Congrave became concerned. She’d come to know Mrs. Mann rather well and was worried that something must have happened.

Congrave contacted the authorities, and they made a call to Mann’s residence. They found that the poor woman had been stuck in her tub for four whole days!

This tough, older woman is a fighter, though, and wasn’t about to let the incident get her down. She said that her knees simply wouldn’t cooperate and let her turn over, so she had to sit there in her tub, hoping and praying that someone would come along and find her.

Mann had no cellphone, and being the independent woman that she was, she also lived alone. No one would have found her until it was too late had the observant waitress not made a call to the police. The only way Mann was able to stay alive was by adding more hot water to the tub occasionally to keep her warm.

Somehow, Doreen managed to keep her nerves under wraps. “I just don’t understand how calm I kept. You know… it wasn’t natural. But something kept telling me ‘keep calm.’” The plucky woman just pressed on and got through it, but was terribly relieved when police showed up.

She knows that she would be in a very sorry state if Sonia hadn’t acted and has referred to Sonia as her angel. Sonia has promised to keep an eye out for her and make sure that she doesn’t get overlooked again, which includes making sure she gets a cell phone so she can call for help if she gets into a similar situation again.

Sonia was aware enough to notice when something about Doreen Mann’s habits were off. You never know when something you notice could come in handy and help save a life!

Thanks to the waitress, Doreen will be able to keep up her tradition of lunch at Tomassi’s. We’re just glad these two found each other, and we hope Doreen continues to enjoy her lunches and wine for years to come!

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