Celebrating life: Local thanks Coosa Ambulance, others, for saving her life
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Tawanda Mathews, a Coosa County resident, shows her appreciation for the Coosa County Ambulance crew credited with helping save her life. Pictured from left are Advanced EMT Yancey Brown, Tawanda, and her mother, Cynthia Mathews. Photo submitted
Special to the News
On July 10, tragedy struck a Coosa County resident as Tawanda Mathews was on her way home from shopping with her boyfriend when she began to feel ill.
She made her way to the gas station in Rockford, opened her car door and fell onto the ground. Mathews began having a seizure.
A bystander, Jennifer Tindall with the Sheriff’s Office, noticed Mathews and quickly turned her onto her side. E-911 was activated, and within two minutes Coosa County Ambulance arrived on the scene.
Paramedic Brandon Bird and Advanced EMT Yancey Brown were the crew members on shift that day.
As they assessed the patient, they found Mathews to be pulseless and apneic, meaning she had no heartbeat and was not breathing.
Crew members quickly noted that the patient was in V-Fib, a deadly arrhythmia, and began to treat her accordingly. As the crew delivered the third and final shock, Mathews regained a pulse.
Her breathing was being assisted by ventilations from the crew. Mathews was placed on Lifesaver 4 out of Scylacauga and flown to Grandview Medical Center.
Six days after this event, Mathews was released from the hospital. She and her mother, who was by her side praying for her daughter from the time of the incident, stopped by the Coosa EMS station last Friday, July 26, to offer their gratitude and hugs for the crew that Mathews attributes with saving her life.
Although she may have a long road of recovery ahead of her, she is thankful and grateful that Coosa County Ambulance was there to give her the chance to live another day.
“This is just one of the many stories we could share that offer this same outcome – patients going home to their families,” Coosa EMS Director Hollie Osbourn said.
Coosa County Ambulance celebrated its one-year anniversary of being in full operation on July 8, just two days prior to this incident.
“We at Coosa County Ambulance are proud to be here to serve all the citizens of Coosa County and grateful to celebrate along with Ms. Mathews and her family her ‘Miracle Walk,’” Osbourn said. “We would also like to recognize Coosa County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Ward and Deputy Middlebrooks for their efforts in assisting Coosa County Ambulance with resuscitative efforts and setting up the landing zone for Lifesaver.”
Mathews gave Coosa County Ambulance written permission to use her name and likeness for the purpose of this article.
