‘Angels in the sky': Doctor saves man's life during flight
T.J. Trad, an invasive cardiologist with Stillwater Medical Center, detailed the moments and how he used a portable EKG monitor to stabilize the passenger experiencing chest pain.
'He was very anxious, he said, and 'I'm going to die,' and the first thing that came to my mind was, 'Not today,'' said Trad.
Trad was returning to the U.S. after working with about 100 patients for free through his organization, Cura for the World and Project Orphans, when a passenger began experiencing chest pain.
Courtney Wood, a nurse travelling with Dr. Trad, alerted him to the situation, prompting him to immediately assist the passenger. Dr. Trad used a KardiaMobile Card, a portable EKG monitor, to assess the man's condition 30,000 feet in the air.
'I asked him on a scale from 0-10, 10 being the most intense pain you've ever had. He said, 'I'm at a 10,'' Trad said.
Working with other healthcare professionals on board, they managed to reduce the man's pain to zero within about 30 minutes and kept him stable until the plane landed in Amsterdam.
'The nurse that was sitting at bedside, she was getting vitals every 5-10 minutes. So, she was getting his heart rate, his pulse ox, his blood pressure, and she was documenting that on a piece of paper,' Trad said. 'They gave me a seat right next to the door, where the pilot is, so that I can give him updates.'
Reflecting on the incident, Dr. Trad described it as a full-circle moment, having experienced a heart attack himself while working to save another life.
'You try your best to act very fast during moments like that, but having felt what this patient had felt, or what other patients had felt, makes me a better doctor, a lot more compassionate, a lot more empathetic,' he said.
The patient, who spent the night in the hospital and was discharged the next day, is reportedly doing OK.
Trad humbly attributed the successful outcome to divine intervention.
'His wife hugged me, and she said we were her angels in the sky, and that was very, very sweet,' he said.
Dr. Trad advises travellers to carry items like nitroglycerin or aspirin in case of a cardiovascular emergency. He remains focused on his foundation's clinics, including one in Creek County.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Air quality alert issued for Montreal area due to wildfire smoke
Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued a special air quality statement for Montreal, Laval, Vaudreuil, Saint-Jean and the Marieville area. The agency says smoke from wildfires burning in the Prairies will cause poor air quality and reduced visibility until Sunday. The statement warns that people over 65, pregnant people, infants and children and people with existing illnesses or chronic health conditions are most at risk of health effects from air pollution. Vulnerable groups are advised to avoid strenuous outdoor activities and seek medical attention if experiencing symptoms. 'You may experience mild and common symptoms such as eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches or a mild cough. More serious but less common symptoms include wheezing, chest pains or severe cough. If you think you are having a medical emergency, seek immediate medical assistance,' Environment Canada said. 'When indoors, keep windows and doors closed as much as possible. When there is an extreme heat event occurring with poor air quality, prioritize keeping cool.' The agency also recommends wearing a well-fitting respirator-type mask when venturing outside, which can reduce exposure to the fine particles in the smoke.
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
Chicago woman billed more than US$233,000 for water she never used in vacant home with no plumbing
A Chicago woman was billed US$233,000 for water she never used in a vacant home with no plumbing. WBBM via CNN Newsource A senior citizen's vacant home in the Back of the Yards neighbourhood racked up a staggering $233,000 water bill, despite not having any plumbing for years. Diane Carli, 82, said the city of Chicago is threatening to garnish her pension, and she's looking for help because the Water Department isn't backing down on an outrageous bill she says is clearly an error. You don't need 20/20 vision to see this house in the Back of Yards neighbourhood is abandoned. 'It's gutted. … There's nothing in there,' Carli said. It has sat vacant for years, with no plumbing. Diane inherited the childhood property of her late husband in 2017. In December 2024, the city contacted her, telling her a new water meter needed to be installed. 'Why would you need to come in when there's no water there, and I'm not asking for water,' she said. She allowed the city to install a meter, and within six months she got a water bill that was out of this world. 'I said, 'A bill for what?' And they said for water,' she said. Despite the vacant home having no plumbing, she's been billed for $233,439.90 since the city installed the meter. 'This is unbelievable. This is totally wrong,' she said. After the meter was installed, the Water Department said she used more than 500,000 gallons. They have placed her account in collections, and threatened to garnish her pension. 'I'm slow, I'm dumb, whatever you want to call me, but it's going to take an Einstein to figure this s*** out. I don't care what you say,' she said. Her daughter, Lisa, went to City Hall to fight the bill, with no luck. 'As soon as you touched our property and made entry into our property, now we have water bill of $233,000,' Lisa said. The family turned to Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) for help, but he couldn't get the Water Department to back down. 'The most we got was yesterday, they said, 'Well, we'll take off $25,000 in penalties for late charges,'' he said. 'I've never in my lifetime seen a bill like that,' Diane said. For years, CBS News Chicago has uncovered countless Chicagoans who all got hosed by outrageous bills for water they never used, and it continues. 'One would think that, after six years of seeing your stories on Getting Hosed, people within the Water Department, people within the Law Department, and people within Finance would understands mistakes happen,' Lopez said. 'They're going to put me in the grave with this, because what do I do?' Diane said. The city recently came back and replaced Diane's water meter, which is registering zero water usage. Lopez and the family are fighting the city to eliminate the entire bill. Diane is far from alone with her water bill woes. For years, CBS News Chicago has reported on this issue with our Getting Hosed series, leading to the Chicago City Council approving a water bill relief program last year.
CBC
5 hours ago
- CBC
Expert discusses potential impact of Trump's demand to slash drug prices in U.S.
U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a direct warning to top pharmaceutical companies, demanding they slash drug prices. Mina Tadrous, an associate professor at the University of Toronto's Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, discusses concerns and how this could impact drug prices in Canada.
