“I didn’t know what I was dealing with. I saw an infant,” Panzino told WPTV. “The head was back and blue lips, skin turning blue, clearly in distress, not breathing, and my heart just dropped.”
Retired nurse Tamara Panzino has worked for many years taking care of people, and she knows exactly what to do in an emergency.
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Unsplash - JESHOOTS.COM
Thanks to her experience and knowledge, a baby’s life was saved a few days ago on a flight to Florida with Spirit Airlines.
That day, every parent’s nightmare came true, and it was really a blessing that the retired nurse was on board that plane.
A three-month-old baby was traveling on that plane with her parents, and everything seemed to be going great until she stopped breathing.
Source:
Unsplash - Philip Myrtorp
When her parents realized what was going on, they immediately asked the flight attendants for help. The couple was in panic mode.
The flight attendants knew it was a life-or-death emergency, and they asked if there was a doctor or nurse among the passengers who could help save the little baby.
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Unsplash - Picsea
Indeed, a nurse was there, and she rushed to the back of the plane where the baby was to see what was going on and how she could help.
Source:
YouTube - FOX 35 Orlando
The woman knew that she had to act quickly, so she started rubbing the baby’s chest quite aggressively, trying to get a heartbeat before resorting to CPR.
“I gave daddy the baby, held it while I did a sternal rub, kind of an aggressive shake of the chest,” she said.
Luckily, she didn’t have to perform CPR. As they were moving towards the front of the plane, the baby started breathing. She had a pulse, and her color started getting better.
Source:
YouTube - FOX 35 Orlando
“The baby’s color started looking better. I was so glad, but I kept shaking it aggressively,” Panzino recalled.
The parents, the crew, the nurse, and all the passengers that witnessed the incident were glad to see the baby was fine.
One of the passengers even captured on video the “aftermath”, as he said, in other words, what followed inside the plane after the baby started breathing again.
Source:
YouTube - FOX 35 Orlando
Everyone clapped and cheered for the baby, and they were so relieved and happy that this adventure had a happy ending.
The baby’s parents later told FOX 35 Orlando that the infant didn’t have any health issues prior to the incident, and that she was in good health afterward.
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YouTube - FOX 35 News
They were grateful to the flight attendants that helped them at the time, to the other passengers for being nice and positive to them while they were going through that hard time, but most of all to Panzino for saving their baby’s life.
Does the retired nurse accept the “hero” title?
“It’s not a hero thing. It’s a community coming together and everyone volunteering to do what their knowledge can help them do. I’m glad I was there,” she said.
Source:
YouTube - FOX 35 Orlando
Watch the passengers’ reaction when they realized the baby was breathing again.
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By Irene Markianou
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Irene Markianou is a contributor at SBLY Media.