A city worker in Mount Vernon is being hailed as a hero after trusting her instincts - and helping save a life.

Shannon Blake works for the city of Mount Vernon as a nutrition aide.

"I deliver meals to senior citizens that aren't able to come out their house," Blake says.

Last month, during a routine shift, Blake says something just didn't feel right with one of her regulars.

"I noticed the meal that I brought the day before [was] still on the door, so that's what made me feel like something was wrong," Blake says.

Blake was right because something was wrong.

After she asked her supervisor for a wellness check, it was discovered that the senior resident was inside her apartment with a low oxygen tank.

"She was somewhat unconscious, which is why she didn't answer," Blake says.

The senior is now getting treatment and city leaders like Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard are calling Blake a "hero."

"Oh, I am extremely proud of Shannon. Shannon has always been one to go above and beyond," Patterson-Howard says.

Blake's lifesaving actions were honored at City Hall on Monday - and she went right back to the job afterward.