Photo by Embry Lopez/American Red Cross
American Red Cross Emergency Medical Responder Tom Horan was on a flight to Las Vegas when he heard the flight attendant trying to wake the woman in the window seat just behind him. He looked over the seat to see that the woman had a blank stare and was not responding.
Tom asked the flight attendant if he could be of help, then changed seats so he could sit next to the woman in crisis. He began to assess her condition and quickly came to the conclusion that she was in diabetic shock.
Tom asked the attendant for sugar and oxygen — once he put the sugar under her tongue and applied the oxygen mask, the woman slowly began to recover. Tom sat with her through the end of the flight and made sure that paramedics would be there to meet them upon landing. The paramedics confirmed his diagnosis of diabetic shock.
On Tom's return flight three days later, he ended up sitting right next to the same woman he had rescued. She was able to share with him that she didn’t even know she was diabetic until the emergency she experienced on their outbound flight.
Tom credited the excellent training he received from the Red Cross that made it possible for him to help others in an emergency.
Evidently, this was not the first time Tom provided help during a midair medical emergency. According to Tom, he's medically aided five or six airline passangers overall on various flights. As a result, there is a running joke amongst Tom's friends and family, advising "Don’t fly with Tom!’”
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The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission.
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