Photo By Seaman Curtis Burdick | U.S. Navy Capt. Cassidy Norman, right, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS...... read more read more
Subscribe
NEWPORT NEWS, Virginia – When the time came to save the life of a flight attendant, a Sailor, assigned to the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), didn’t skip a beat to act; it was his hospital corpsman training that gave him the ability to react to the emergency.
In December of 2021, Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Gerardo Alvarez, from Los Angeles, the Stennis’ physical therapy technician, jumped in to help when a flight attendant fainted and hit her head; Alverez applied first-aid by performing CPR for 40 minutes until the plane made an emergency landing in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
“The adrenaline kicked in and I was hoping she’d be okay,” said Alvarez. “I didn’t want my kids to see what was happening, but it was all eyes on me at the time.”
Alvarez’s courage and hospital corpsman training gave him the initiative and knowledge to save the life of the flight attendant. This incident exemplifies why knowing what to do in a medical emergency is important and responding quickly could save a person’s life.
“Starting CPR can be the difference between whether someone survives after a life-threatening injury or illness,” said Lt. Cmdr. Emily Latimer, from Lake Charles, Louisiana, the ship’s nurse for the Stennis. “Medical is not always the first one to respond when an emergency happens, sometimes it’s non-medical personnel.”
According to Lt. James Maxfield, from Boston, the Stennis’ physical therapist, Alverez’s actions aboard the flight show his good and caring nature as well as his commitment as a hospital corpsman.
“He is one of the best physical therapy technicians and one of the best corpsman I've ever worked with,” said Maxfield. “He has gone above and beyond for both me as a provider and the department.”
On May 2, Alvarez was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medal as the command recognized his courageous actions during the flight.
“It’s exciting to receive the award and I’m grateful for my leadership that helped me receive this recognition,” said Alvarez.
More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital each year, with 475,000 Americans dying from cardiac arrest, according to the American Heart Association. In some situations, such as what Alvarez experienced, there could be few people that know basic life support or first-aid, and by stepping in, it can double or triple the chances of that person’s survival.
“A medical emergency can happen to someone when you're out shopping, traveling, or in a park and see somebody collapse,” said Latimer. “If it happens when you're in an isolated environment there may be no help coming, you may be the only one."
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, much like with Alvarez, it was preparation and circumstance that saved a person’s life.
| Date Taken: | 03.09.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.15.2022 11:09 |
| Story ID: | 423022 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 261 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Saving a Life in the Sky, by SN Curtis Burdick, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT