A USPS worker saved an elderly woman's life after noticing that she hadn't collected her mail for three days.

Shonda Lemon has been delivering mail to 89-year-old Helen Iwanski, 89 on her Chicago route for four years. The mail carrier suspected something was wrong after realising the elderly woman's mailbox was full.

Deciding to act on her gut feeling, she called the police to carry out a welfare check and ended up saving Iwanski's life.

Police officers found Iwanski injured on the floor, having fallen several days earlier and was unable to call for help.

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Lemon said that while she and the elderly women rarely conversed, she would wrap her mail in rubber bands to help the 89-year-old hold onto it more easily.

Iwanski thanked her mail carrier for her kindness by taping sweets onto her outgoing mail for her to find.

During an interview with CNN, Lemon said: "I've always had a soft spot for the elderly. So, when I do come across elders, they just take a special place in my heart… I just knew her to be a nice and considerate old lady, so when she would come to the door, I would check on her."

Lemon continued along her mail route after calling the police and said that she broke down in tears when she received the news that Iwanski was alive.

"I was very relieved because my heart was in my throat," she said. "I was just so overwhelmed that I just cried."

After a week in the local hospital, Iwanski made a full recovery and she is continuing to get better at a rehabilitation center.

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Mary Mason – Iwanski's niece – said that she is now referring to Lemon as her "angel". Her family are absolutely convinced that her actions saved her life.

"I don't think she would have lasted," Mason said. "I don't think it would've been a good outcome."

The US Postal Service said in a statement cited by 7News: "Postal Service employees know the habits of their customers and the rhythms of their communities, and are often the first to notify emergency personnel and render aid when something is wrong…

"Employees have been commended for going above and beyond the call of duty in a variety of situations, such as assisting lost children, getting help for sick or injured customers, spotting fires, and more. It's another example of the heroic actions taken by an employee in the neighborhood they serve."

USPS worker saves elderly woman's life after noticing she hadn't collected mail for three days