And just like that, your daily coffee-and-pastry habit has been justified.
For the past seven years, Kirk Alexander, 48, has been placing almost daily orders at a Domino’s Pizza located in Salem, Oregon. One night, the employees noticed something unusual — Alexander hadn't placed a food order for 11 consecutive days. Just to ensure everything was alright, they drove by his residence to check on their loyal, long-time customer.
It was a decision that saved Alexander's life.
Alexander was known among the evening shift drivers for his near-daily habit of ordering from the chain. Therefore, his silence struck the store’s general manager, Sarah Fuller, along with her assistant manager, Jenny Seiber, as conspicuous.
"Several of our drivers had commented that they hadn't seen an order come through for him recently," Fuller said to USA Today. "And when we looked it up, we knew instantly it wasn't normal."
First, they attempted to reach Alexander by phone. After the call went immediately to voicemail, Fuller decided it was time to take some action.
"It was about 1 a.m. Sunday morning, and we weren't terribly busy," Fuller said. "So I asked one of our regular drivers who knew Alexander to stop by the customer's home on Penticton Circle NE and check it out. We all know Kirk and he only lives about 6 minutes from our store, so the whole team was concerned."
Although both the television and the lights were on at Alexander’s home, the driver reported that nobody came to answer the door; the team back at the store therefore advised the driver to call 911.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, officers could hear Alexander calling for help from inside his home when they arrived on the scene. After forcing entry, the deputies located Alexander, who was in need of immediate medical attention.
“Thanks to the quick actions of Mr. Hamblen, Mr. Alexander is in stable condition at the Salem Hospital,” reads the Department’s Facebook post.
USA Today reports that several members of the staff have visited Alexander in the hospital, noting that he smiled and nodded upon seeing him, showing that he understood the role the staff played in getting him help.
"We're like a family here, and we were glad we were able to do something to help," Fuller said to USA Today. "We hope he's able to fully recover from this."
