The first thing Cherry Tolentino remembers after collapsing in her living room is waking up in intensive care and seeing her sister among the nurses caring for her.
Tolentino's story was highlighted among the 25 tales of near-death experiences and the actions of local paramedics who saved them during the 10th Annual Survivor Day.
(Photo courtesy of the Essex-Windsor EMS)
That evening, on October 21, 2022, Tolentino was pumping up an air mattress and preparing to settle down in her living room.
Not long before, she spent two nights in the hospital with severe pain in her right calf. She had been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and was still taking medication.
As she pumped air into the mattress, her breathing became laboured, and she lost consciousness.
Her shocked son called for his sisters to call 911.
Minutes later, paramedics Adrien Bezaire, Nick Chiarappa, Bradley Humber, and Liam Loton arrived at the Tolentino home.
"We knew even before we got out of the ambulance that something serious was going on," said Bezaire, an advanced care paramedic. "When we entered the house, we found her on the living room floor. She was blue, unresponsive with no pulse, and that's when we got to work."
Paramedics rushed Tolentino to the Met campus of Windsor Regional Hospital, where doctors told her she suffered a cardiac arrest after a blood clot lodged in her lung.
A week later, Tolentino remained in grave condition when Bezaire and Chiarappa transferred her to the Ouellette campus.
She remained in the hospital for a month and was sent home with a walker. Two months later, she could walk unassisted and returned to her job as a personal support worker at a long-term care home on April 24.
"I am very thankful God gave me this second chance at life," she said on Friday. "Also, I want to thank the paramedics who were there for me at a critical time. My kids remember, and they are happy that there are people who can save lives."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JavjXK_v70&t=6s&ab_channel=CountyofEssex
Friday's event also recognized 68 paramedics, 40 firefighters, 14 ambulance communications officers, ten members of the public, five students, and three police officers.
"Survivor Day reminds paramedics, their first-responder partners, and the public how special it is to be part of saving a life," said Essex-Windsor EMS Chief Bruce Krauter. "It is a chance for survivors to tell their stories and thank those who helped save them. Paramedics respond to some extremely challenging calls, and not every life can be saved."
This year's event, hosted by Essex-Windsor EMS and the Southwest Ontario Regional Base Hospital Program, was held at the St. Clair Centre for the Arts.