Being in the right place at the right time

The life-saving efforts of two Cook employees

When a person’s life is on the line, there is not always time to process the situation or even to think about what’s going on. Instead, you are left to hope that your instincts and training will be there to guide you through it all. Earlier this year, on May 14, Alex Cuervo and Stefania Massa experienced this exact scenario first hand.

A surreal ordeal

Alex, an aortic field support clinical training manager, and Stefania, a clinical specialist for the Vascular Aortic Intervention (AI) and Peripheral Intervention (PI) teams, are normally based out of Miami, Florida. However, they both happened to be in Bloomington on the night of May 14, casually catching up at The Uptown restaurant after a work training session at Park 48. While reminiscing over old times and discussing new adventures and work, a woman sitting at a nearby table started choking on her dinner.

A man at the same table quickly stood up, and after realizing there was food blocking her airway, began administering the Heimlich maneuver.

“We immediately went to see if we could help,” Alex said.

“Both Alex and I were in the medical field prior to joining the medical sales field,” Stefania explained. “I am a registered nurse (RN), and Alex is a cardiovascular technologist. Both of us have had extensive training, to the point that responding was just so instinctual.”

“We had both jumped up when we saw what was happening,” she continued. “We helped continue to administer the Heimlich maneuver, until the woman became unconscious. Then we helped lower her to the floor.”

From there, Alex and Stefania, along with two other patrons at the restaurant and two restaurant employees, continued to administer abdominal thrusts, as well as check the woman’s airway and perform CPR. All the while, restaurant employees assisted in any way that they could and called 911 for emergency assistance. The entire restaurant had fallen silent, watching the scene unfold before them.

The group, including Alex and Stefania, continued to monitor the situation and work together until they were finally able to expel the piece of food that was preventing the woman from breathing. Slowly, she regained consciousness and started breathing again on her own. The restaurant filled with an uproarious sound, as patrons and employees clapped and cheered for the woman and the heroes standing before them. At that point, an ambulance and paramedics had arrived on the scene. They collected a report from the group and transported the woman to the hospital.

“After the fact, it was surreal,” Alex said. “Stefania and I couldn’t believe what just unfolded, but we were glad that our training kicked in, and that we were in the right place at the right time and able to help.”

Honoring the heroes

A couple of months later, on Saturday, July 27, the six rescuers were honored for their efforts with the Civilian Lifesaving Award by the Bloomington Fire Department at Bloomington’s City Hall, and reunited with Charlotte, the woman they helped save. Since the incident, Charlotte has had a full recovery.

“I really was looking forward to getting to meet and speak with Charlotte,” Alex said, “She really is an amazing woman.”

“The ceremony was very touching,” he continued. “It was a special moment, and I was very proud and happy to share that moment with my wife, my two girls, and my Cook family.”

“After everything, I felt a mix of disbelief and honor,” Stefania said, “And I felt quite humbled to have so many Cook people attending the ceremony.”

“This whole experience has been a reminder for me about why I became a nurse in the first place,” she continued. “It encourages my view that people are willing to work with each other to ensure positive outcomes for each other, and it enforces the thought that I made the right choice joining the Cook team.”

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Written by Alexandria Stanfield, a Written Content generalist in Corporate Marketing and Communications at Park 48.

You can click the blue text to read The Cook Values Audio Series: Episode 2 and learn more about what it means to treat everyone with respect as Ron Mobley shares his unique twist on the “Golden Rule.” You can also click the following blue text to read A can-do attitude and watch a video about the AMER SC’s a15-year anniversary, culture, and history.