The day they saved a life
It was a typical morning at their CVS Pharmacy until Kristine, a beauty consultant, and Elma, a pharmacist, saved a young man’s life.
Kristine Carmichael believes it’s important to greet customers who visit her Encinitas, California CVS Pharmacy. “It tells them that they matter,” the beauty consultant says.
If Kristine hadn’t warmly greeted customers on a busy Friday in January, life could have been very different for one young man.
“Welcome honey, can I help you find anything?” asked Kristine in her kind, sunny voice. “Benadryl,” he responded.
“I looked closely and saw he was in distress. His face was red, his lips purple, he was sweating, and his breathing was off,” Kristine recalls. “I immediately led him to a seat near the pharmacy counter, got the medicine and watched him swallow it.”
Realizing there wasn’t time for the Benadryl to activate, Kristine’s mothering instincts kicked in. “I’ve been a widow for 11 years and raised my daughter and son who are also in their twenties. It looked like an allergic reaction.”*
A textbook response
Kristine quickly flagged pharmacy technician Bree Cullinan who waved over pharmacist Elma Dobric.
“I had Bree call 911 and I asked his permission to administer an EpiPen,” says Elma, a 15-year veteran with CVS Pharmacy. “He was averse to us alerting 911 but I explained it was important to be assessed since a secondary anaphylactic reaction could occur.”
Bree brought him an ice pack to ease the symptoms. Elma checked his pulse, shared breathing techniques to keep him calm, and administered a second dose of EpiPen. Kristine waited for the emergency medical technicians and guided them to the patient where they administered oxygen and an IV.
“Today you all saved a life, it was perfect textbook protocol in an emergency,” Kristine recalls the head EMT saying before placing him on a stretcher for transport to the hospital.
When he was safely on his way, Elma and Kristine hugged – elated and a lot relieved. “We did it!” they told each other over and over.
A grateful family
Later that day, Dominic, whose life had been saved, returned to the pharmacy with his parents, a bouquet of flowers and a thank you card.
“Do you know who I am?” he asked. “Sure do, honey,” Kristine responded with a grin.
“You know, Dominic’s dad gave me a hug and I could feel him trembling,” Kristine recalls. “He was just so grateful.”
“I’ve assisted patients in many ways over the years but never saved someone,” Elma quietly admits.
Any day, each of us may be challenged to be a Heart At Work hero. Kristine and Elma, thank you for showing us how it’s done.
*Dominic had an allergic reaction to almonds in a pastry he’d eaten.
