WAYLAND — Lindsay Byrne and her twin sister, Nicole Kelly, were flying from Boston to their parents’ house in Florida when the flight crew announced that help was needed due to a medical emergency.
Byrne, a Wayland firefighter and paramedic, and Kelly, a nurse at Beth Israel Lahey Clinic in Burlington, immediately jumped into action on the Aug. 1 flight bound to Fort Myers.
They, along with an EMT from Florida, learned there was an unconscious woman in one of the plane’s bathrooms and the flight staff were unable to revive her.
Byrne, 28, said the trio rushed into action.
“She was completely unconscious when I pulled her out of the bathroom,” she said. “She was not alert at all. She was unconscious for several minutes. I never even got her name.”
The woman had grayish-blue skin, a faint pulse and was having difficulty breathing.
The responders quickly determined the woman was having a diabetic emergency. Byrne said they noticed an insulin pump was nearby and the woman had a continuous glucose monitoring device on her.
“Once we realized she was having a severe diabetic emergency, we poured some sugar packets into her mouth and when she woke up, we gave her orange juice and did the best we could to keep her conscious,” said Byrne, who has been a firefighter in Wayland since 2018.
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Once the plane landed — it was about 40 minutes from its destination at the time of the incident — local paramedics transported the woman to a local hospital to be treated, Byrne said.
Wayland Fire Chief Neil McPherson said he’s proud of Byrne and Kelly and how their training instantly kicked in to save the woman’s life.
“Incidents like these are what first responders and medical professionals train for,” he said. “Seeing this training and professionalism kick into action beyond our small community and in an environment with limited resources is a proud moment for the department that made a difference in someone’s life. I commend Lindsay and Nicole for working together and utilizing both of their unique skill sets to take this swift, lifesaving action while flying aboard an aircraft.”
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Byrne said that even though she was on vacation, instinct took over.
“It’s kind of crazy,” she said. “I told the chief that we normally respond when tones go off, it’s instinct. When they (flight crew) announced there was a medical, it was almost the same thing. We just immediately stood up and walked to the front of the plane. It felt the same.”
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow Norman Miller on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.