Arlette Cox, 2, is back to her sassy self, following a medical scare March 5 that required the assistance of two local communities’ ambulance services.
“That night was one of the worst nights of my life, and there’s no way I can ever thank you for the work that you guys did to save my daughter,” said Makayla Kamberling, Arlette’s mother.
Stephanie Kamberling, grandma to Arlette, also thanked the work of the multiple agencies and the way they worked together to help respond to the call.
Mechanicsville Ambulance Service got the page of a lethargic 2-year-old.
Megan Meyer was the first on scene for the call, and she took a detour from work at 9 p.m.
“When a mom meets you with a limp child, you immediately get to work and start calling for more aid,” Meyer said.
That page included calling for a tiered response with Mount Vernon-Lisbon Ambulance Service.
“We were all at the station that night, which rarely happens, so we were able to respond to the scene quickly,” Hanson said.
Ashley McCormick and other members of the Mechanicsville Ambulance Service worked at getting Arlette ready to transfer.
The crew tried to get airflight on standby, but that didn’t work out.
That meant the crew was responding on ground from Mechanicsville to Iowa City hospitals.
Near Solon, the paramedics had to intubate Arlette to help with her breathing, as she was unconscious and showing low oxygen.
“Intubating a patient, especially a toddler, is not something you do very frequently,” Hanson said. “It’s a skill we learn and train for, but not something you do every call.”
The crew got Arlette to the hospital emergency room, and that’s usually all they ever know about a patient’s journey.
“We don’t usually get to hear how these cases we respond to resolve,” Hanson said.
Hanson said that he had friends at the emergency room, and they checked in on how that case was going as much as they could.
On Monday, March 13, Arlette and her family got to visit with the first responders who saved her life and thank them for their work.
For Hanson and members of the ambulance crew, seeing Arlette and knowing she was on the road to recovery was the true win for the evening.
“I want you to know that the crew at the emergency room said that the first responders did everything correct in all the steps of getting Arlette to the hospital, and that your work on securing her airway is something they took advantage of,” Kamberling said.
She also admitted that when Arlette was acting unusually, her biggest fear was the 911 call for help, but the crews talking her through every step when they were on scene really helped ease her.
Hanson said that’s something he wants the public to not be afraid to do, as time means everything in these lifesaving instances.
“Do not hesitate to call 911,” Hanson said. “We are here for those instances all the time.”
As well, the crews from area ambulance services conduct training time together, so it’s not just one community potentially responding, but crews from different communities working together on some of the more complex cases.
Mechanicsville, Lisbon-Mount Vernon Ambulance service thanked for saving life
March 23, 2023
About the Contributor
Nathan Countryman, Editor
Nathan Countryman is the Editor of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun.