COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A local postal worker was recognized Thursday after he found an abandoned newborn girl at a vacant home on the city's East Side.
It's a story NBC 4 has been following since the infant was found Saturday, June 27.
Livingston Station Letter Carrier Mike Herron found the newborn, who was wrapped in a trash bag, on the porch at the vacant home on Marble Drive.
Herron quickly enlisted the help of neighbors, and the newborn was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
An emotional reunion took place at the Livingston Station, 3850 E. Livingston Ave., Thursday morning.
Postal Carrier Mike Herron received a letter from Postmaster General John Potter that praised him for "attentiveness and quick actions in responding to the cries of an abandoned, newborn child."
Herron didn't expect the infant to be at the post office, though, when he received his letter of recognition.
Herron became teary-eyed at the sight of infant who was named Summer. She was named Summer by Franklin County Children Services because she was born on a hot, summer day.
Herron joked that maybe her middle name could be Michelle.
"Uh. Totally shocked. I mean, um. Obviously. We haven't seen each other since the day I found her, but she was just as beautiful when I found her as she is today,” Herron said about Summer.
He said he hopes to see her again someday.
Herron said he carries around a photo of her and looks at it when he’s having a bad day.
Summer has been placed with a foster family.
Herron also received a special recognition certificate from Columbus Postmaster Robin Ware.
Other workers in the carrier unit stopped their daily routines for a few minutes to watch.
Ware said she hopes the case inspires others to keep an eye on what's going on in the community.
For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
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