Vital Signs
RUN-IN WITH LADY LUCK
When a 64-year-old Henniker, N.H., man collapsed at the end of his driveway after jogging, it was his lucky day. What was lucky is that the first person to come along was DHMC respiratory therapist Rebecca Egner. It was a Saturday and she had her young son with her—in fact, they were returning from an outing for his first birthday—but she had no hesitation about stopping to give aid.
Egner, who is also a paramedic, quickly determined that the man's condition was serious. She started CPR right away and kept it up until the Henniker rescue squad arrived. The man recovered fully and the next month had an internal defibrillator implanted at DHMC.
Even though Egner received a letter of commendation for her actions from the Henniker Selectboard, she doesn't believe she should be singled out for her actions that day. She's glad she came along but says the rescue was a team effort. A.S.