UNITY — On a cold Dec. 30 with temperatures in the teens, an 86-year-old woman fell while outside her Unity home on Town Farm Road and broke her leg. Alone, she was unable to get back to her feet. She had fallen in an area where no one could see her on the ground. 

She was, however, able to drag herself a short distance to an area where she was visible from the road. That’s when Hailey Giggey and her boyfriend, Matthew Slater, were passing by. Giggey saw the elderly woman on the ground and alerted her boyfriend, and they called 911.

While waiting for help, the two gathered blankets to warm the woman and attempted to keep her still. The woman estimated that she had been on the ground for 20 minutes before being seen.

Waldo County Sheriff's Deputy James Porter and Unity Fire Chief David Smith arrived, as well as personnel from Unity Ambulance Service, took the woman to a hospital and then transferred her to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor with a broken femur.

“It is comforting to know that in a time of crisis there are those in our community that are still willing to lend a helping hand,” said Waldo County Jeffrey Trafton, in a news release. “It is this type of selfless action conducted by individuals like Ms. Giggey and Mr. Slater that makes Waldo County such a great place to live.”

Trafton recognized their actions on Jan. 2, 2015 with a Certificate of Recognition, a letter of thanks, and a challenge coin from the Waldo County Sheriff's Office.