Photo:GettyEmily Raines and her boyfriend Daniel Shifflett were flying home from a Bahamas cruise when they came to the aid of a man who had stopped breathing.Both licensed nurses, the couple responded to a flight attendant’s announcement of a medical emergency. Any medical professionals on board the Southwest Flight 553 aircraft were asked to come to the front of the plane immediately.“We just kind of looked at each other,” Shifflett, 28, toldThe Washington Post.“I could hear the panic in the flight attendant’s voice,” added Raines, 31, who is an acute care nurse at Greater Baltimore Medical Center.When they reached the man, they found him slumped over, looking “blueish-purplish” and did not have a pulse.“A flight attendant was trying to do compressions, but the guy was on his chair,” Shifflett said. “You need to be on a flat surface. Otherwise, the compressions aren’t going to do anything.“They were able to move the man to the ground to properly attempt to revive him.“It was difficult to do, because we were in the middle of a plane aisle, which is very thin,” Shifflett said, adding that his chest wasn’t rising when he “gave him a rescue breath.“With the help of some passengers and the flight crew, they were able to sift through some medical equipment and retrieve an oropharyngeal airway, a device that helps opens a person’s airways. They also nabbed a bag valve mask, which is used to deliver positive pressure ventilation to someone who isn’t breathing properly.Meanwhile, Shifflett continued doing compressions. “There were a few people that were definitely trying to help,” he said.“It was very overwhelming,” added Raines.After about 15 minutes, just as the plane was about to touch down in Raleigh, North Carolina for an emergency landing, they were “able to get his heartbeat back.“Simply “amazing” to see his eyes open, the man was awake when they landed and was immediately taken away to a hospital.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The man’s wife has since been in contact with his heroic rescue team, and though they prefer to remain nameless, Raines and Shifflett shared the woman’s thankfulness.“I cannot possibly thank you enough for saving [his] life,” the message to Raines said. “There are no words.“The woman even expressed in a text that she would love to send them cookies, as she is a professional baker. She also reported that the man did not have a heart attack, but doctors said “multiple factors” could have played a role in causing her husband’s heart to stop, including low oxygen levels.“Not a lot of times when you give CPR or have situations like this do patients truly make it,” Raines said. “It doesn’t happen often.”In a separate interview withThe Guardianon the lifesaving incident, Raines said: “Both of us have that [medical] experience and that deeper understanding of exactly what we were doing, We have these skills together as a couple and we were able to save somebody’s life.““It’s awesome,” she added.
Photo:Getty
Getty
Emily Raines and her boyfriend Daniel Shifflett were flying home from a Bahamas cruise when they came to the aid of a man who had stopped breathing.Both licensed nurses, the couple responded to a flight attendant’s announcement of a medical emergency. Any medical professionals on board the Southwest Flight 553 aircraft were asked to come to the front of the plane immediately.“We just kind of looked at each other,” Shifflett, 28, toldThe Washington Post.“I could hear the panic in the flight attendant’s voice,” added Raines, 31, who is an acute care nurse at Greater Baltimore Medical Center.When they reached the man, they found him slumped over, looking “blueish-purplish” and did not have a pulse.“A flight attendant was trying to do compressions, but the guy was on his chair,” Shifflett said. “You need to be on a flat surface. Otherwise, the compressions aren’t going to do anything.“They were able to move the man to the ground to properly attempt to revive him.“It was difficult to do, because we were in the middle of a plane aisle, which is very thin,” Shifflett said, adding that his chest wasn’t rising when he “gave him a rescue breath.“With the help of some passengers and the flight crew, they were able to sift through some medical equipment and retrieve an oropharyngeal airway, a device that helps opens a person’s airways. They also nabbed a bag valve mask, which is used to deliver positive pressure ventilation to someone who isn’t breathing properly.Meanwhile, Shifflett continued doing compressions. “There were a few people that were definitely trying to help,” he said.“It was very overwhelming,” added Raines.After about 15 minutes, just as the plane was about to touch down in Raleigh, North Carolina for an emergency landing, they were “able to get his heartbeat back.“Simply “amazing” to see his eyes open, the man was awake when they landed and was immediately taken away to a hospital.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The man’s wife has since been in contact with his heroic rescue team, and though they prefer to remain nameless, Raines and Shifflett shared the woman’s thankfulness.“I cannot possibly thank you enough for saving [his] life,” the message to Raines said. “There are no words.“The woman even expressed in a text that she would love to send them cookies, as she is a professional baker. She also reported that the man did not have a heart attack, but doctors said “multiple factors” could have played a role in causing her husband’s heart to stop, including low oxygen levels.“Not a lot of times when you give CPR or have situations like this do patients truly make it,” Raines said. “It doesn’t happen often.”In a separate interview withThe Guardianon the lifesaving incident, Raines said: “Both of us have that [medical] experience and that deeper understanding of exactly what we were doing, We have these skills together as a couple and we were able to save somebody’s life.““It’s awesome,” she added.
Emily Raines and her boyfriend Daniel Shifflett were flying home from a Bahamas cruise when they came to the aid of a man who had stopped breathing.
Both licensed nurses, the couple responded to a flight attendant’s announcement of a medical emergency. Any medical professionals on board the Southwest Flight 553 aircraft were asked to come to the front of the plane immediately.
“We just kind of looked at each other,” Shifflett, 28, toldThe Washington Post.
“I could hear the panic in the flight attendant’s voice,” added Raines, 31, who is an acute care nurse at Greater Baltimore Medical Center.
When they reached the man, they found him slumped over, looking “blueish-purplish” and did not have a pulse.
“A flight attendant was trying to do compressions, but the guy was on his chair,” Shifflett said. “You need to be on a flat surface. Otherwise, the compressions aren’t going to do anything.”
They were able to move the man to the ground to properly attempt to revive him.
“It was difficult to do, because we were in the middle of a plane aisle, which is very thin,” Shifflett said, adding that his chest wasn’t rising when he “gave him a rescue breath.”
With the help of some passengers and the flight crew, they were able to sift through some medical equipment and retrieve an oropharyngeal airway, a device that helps opens a person’s airways. They also nabbed a bag valve mask, which is used to deliver positive pressure ventilation to someone who isn’t breathing properly.
Meanwhile, Shifflett continued doing compressions. “There were a few people that were definitely trying to help,” he said.
“It was very overwhelming,” added Raines.
After about 15 minutes, just as the plane was about to touch down in Raleigh, North Carolina for an emergency landing, they were “able to get his heartbeat back.”
Simply “amazing” to see his eyes open, the man was awake when they landed and was immediately taken away to a hospital.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The man’s wife has since been in contact with his heroic rescue team, and though they prefer to remain nameless, Raines and Shifflett shared the woman’s thankfulness.
“I cannot possibly thank you enough for saving [his] life,” the message to Raines said. “There are no words.”
The woman even expressed in a text that she would love to send them cookies, as she is a professional baker. She also reported that the man did not have a heart attack, but doctors said “multiple factors” could have played a role in causing her husband’s heart to stop, including low oxygen levels.
“Not a lot of times when you give CPR or have situations like this do patients truly make it,” Raines said. “It doesn’t happen often.”
In a separate interview withThe Guardianon the lifesaving incident, Raines said: “Both of us have that [medical] experience and that deeper understanding of exactly what we were doing, We have these skills together as a couple and we were able to save somebody’s life.”
“It’s awesome,” she added.
source: people.com
