By Leila Merrill
LOWELL, Mass. — Two paramedics with the PRIDEStar EMS Trinity EMS Division recently reunited with a patient they revived last month.
According to a news release, Paramedic Samantha Kuenzler was getting to work for her 7 a.m. shift on Jan. 7 at the Haverhill base when you chatted with a neighbor, Steven St. Germaine. She jokingly said that he lived in the safest house of the street because it is so close to the base. He laughed.
At about 5 p.m. that day, dispatchers got a call about an unresponsive male at that address. Kuenzler hurried across the street. Her partner, Paramedic Bobby Thorne, drove an ambulance over.
St. Germaine was on the ground, motionless and without a pulse. He was in cardiac arrest. The EMS providers performed CPR and defibrillation at more than 18 minutes, reviving him. They transported St. Germaine to Lawrence General Hospital.
He was discharged on Jan. 28, and they visited him at home later that day.
“Steve has a very special place in our hearts,” Kuenzler said. “This is exactly why we do this job. These outcomes are few and far between. He makes this job worth it.”
“Bobby and Samantha showed a high level of professionalism in their response, for someone we know as a neighbor and friend.” said David Daly, founder and CEO of PRIDEStar. “We are so happy that Steve is doing well, and that this call had such a happy ending.”