‘I’m Still Alive Thanks To You’: Woman Thanks North Haven Fire Crews

NORTH HAVEN, CT — A woman grateful to be alive is thanking the first responders who helped save her life during a recent medical emergency in North Haven.

The North Haven Fire Department shared a letter on Facebook from a 59-year-old woman who said she was “still alive thanks to you guys.”

The woman was walking in the area of State Street and Broadway on Aug. 29 when bystanders saw her “fall and become disorientated,” according to fire officials.

Witnesses immediately called 911 and crews arrived to the scene within two minutes.

Officials said the woman was “found to be in a serious heart arrythmia known as ventricular tachycardia.”

“Seconds counted at that moment and both FF/Paramedics worked aggressively to provide oxygen, establish an IV, setup cardiac monitoring, auscultate lung sounds, administer medications and provide cardioversion,” officials wrote in the post on Facebook. “Recognition of a proper diagnosis within seconds of arriving requires a skillset unlike any other. Due to the severity of the incident, R1 personnel assisted Nelson Ambulance personnel to the hospital to maintain redundancy in the highest level of pre-hospital care available.

“FF/Paramedic Rondeau and FF/Paramedic Panek assigned to R1 performed admirably and without delay. In many ways this was a routine ALS call but what makes this special is the resident took the time to write a note and thank those responders that allowed her to continue living. Travel times and the availability of FF/Paramedics saves lives!”

In the letter, the woman identified herself as the “'not-yet 60’ woman who almost dropped dead by the river but was brought back to life by all of you.”

“Thank you is not really enough to express my gratitude,” she wrote. “I love each and every one of you for giving me my life back. You’re amazing to me. You did your job with such love, kindness and compassion. Yes, you really ‘shocked’ me. Gives me faith in humanity and (some) technology, as I now will always carry my phone!”