| Recipient: | Fawn Fitz, LPN |
|---|---|
| Job Title: | Staff Nurse |
| Employer: | Community Memorial Healthcenter, South Hill, Va. |
| Nominated by: | Susan Helms, RN, MSN, CCRN, PCCN |
|---|---|
| Title: | Community Memorial Healthcenter, South Hill, Va. |
| Employer: | Director of Professional Practice |
Like most people embarking on their first ride on an airplane, Fawn Fitz was excited. This LPN was traveling with a group of nine parents and children from Central Middle School in Charlotte County, where she lives, to attend the national competition of Odyssey of the Mind at Iowa State University. So of course, she was also elated about that, especially since one of the children attending the scholastic competition focusing on math and science was her daughter.
Their return flight on May 27th turned hectic - from changing planes to delayed flights to tracking down baggage, "Nothing seemed to be going right," Fawn explained. "We ended up in Chicago, and honestly we weren't ever even supposed to have been there." While rushing to change planes in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport - one of the largest and busiest airports in the country - Fawn and her group passed a crowd of people. She noticed they were gathered around a lifeless man on the floor. "People were just standing there. As soon as I saw him, I knew he wasn't breathing. He was blue. No one was doing anything other than saying, ‘Sir, can you hear me?' One person was waving at him. I couldn't let that happen. This man needed help and fast! I knew I had to do something for him. Call it nursing instinct, but I went into action."
While many people would have kept on running to catch their plane, Fawn instantly responded, throwing down her bags, checking the man for responsiveness and a pulse. "He had no pulse. He wasn't breathing. He didn't have anything," she said. She had a medical mouth shield (microshield) in her pocket, something nurses commonly use in emergencies, took it out and started CPR. She soon learned paramedics were on their way and that another nurse was in the vicinity. The other nurse took over chest compressions while Fawn continued artificially breathing for the man, constantly monitoring his progress.
A crowd grew around her, as did the tension. But Fawn kept her focus on this man. She didn't know his name. She didn't know how old he was, if he had a family, if he had ever been to Chicago before, or seen the Atlantic Ocean. But what she did know was that he was in grave danger and could possibly die if she didn't continue - even if it meant missing her plane. "Missing my plane didn't matter. This man needed help. I asked the airport personnel to get on the radio and tell the paramedics to step on it".
Fawn then learned that the airport had a portable AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) - an emergency device used to "shock" a patient with no pulse in hopes of "jump starting" the heart. After shocking the man twice, Fawn finally managed to get a very faint and very slow heart rhythm. "He was still in trouble. I just wanted those paramedics to get there so we could get this man to a hospital as soon as possible," Fawn said. Finally, the paramedics arrived. "As soon as I saw them, I started screaming, ‘Ya'll need to intubate him!' And they did!" she smiled.
The man was quickly rushed to a nearby hospital and calm soon returned. Fawn was credited by airport personnel, airline staff and bystanders as having saved the man's life.
In appreciation of her heroic actions, the airline held the plane for her and then offered her four first-class tickets for her and the other adults in her party for their return flight home. But in her true humble style, Fawn refused them. "There were nine of us. The adults could have sat up there, but that would have left the children in coach by themselves. I couldn't leave my children," Fawn said with a soft smile.
And as far as being credited with saving the man's life, well, Fawn has simply handled that with humility and dignity. "I just did what needed to be done and what any nurse should do," she explained. "I believe God put me there at that moment for a reason, because there were so many reasons that our group shouldn't have even been there. But I believe God put us there. And I will always wonder what God has in store for that gentleman and what great things He has planned for him. His life was spared that day for a reason, and if I was able to help with that, well, I'm honored."
