Sunwing flight attendant says she saved passenger's life mid-air as pilot made emergency landing in Toronto
A Sunwing flight attendant saved a passenger's life who went into cardiac arrest as a pilot made an emergency landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport this week.
“Her heart stopped,” Marisa Rodrigues, a flight attendant of 18 years, told CTV News Toronto.
On Tuesday, Rodrigues was preparing for a standard landing of a Sunwing flight from Cancun to Toronto while on duty as the Cabin Safety Manager (CSM).
Then, a call light flashed a few times near the middle of the plane. As she got closer, she saw a woman having a seizure. Her body was in full convulsion.
“I noticed that her fingers and around her mouth and face started to turn blue and purple and her face was gray,” Rodrigues said.
“I had to take her from her seat, put her down on the seat, lay her down and start CPR immediately.”
Sunwing confirmed that a passenger was in medical distress on the flight from Cancun to Toronto on Tuesday.
“The crew immediately attended to the affected passenger, along with a nurse and medical student on board the flight, and the Sunwing Airlines Cabin Safety Manager on duty, Marisa Rodrigues, conducted chest compressions on the passenger as the flight crew declared a medical emergency and the aircraft prepared for its descent into Toronto,” a Sunwing spokesperson told CTV News Toronto on Thursday.
Together with a nurse and medical school student who responded to the call, they lifted the woman from her seat and laid her down on the floor of the plane.
Rodrigues positioned the woman’s head between her legs and proceeded to push air into her lungs before they placed oxygen and an automated external defibrillator (AED) on the passenger.
“As that was being placed on…we realized that she had a heartbeat…it was very, very shallow and very, very low,” she said.
But, Rodrigues added, “She came through.”
As the plane approached Pearson Airport, the captain declared a medical emergency landing in order to push to the front of the line of aircraft arriving at the airport.
“Because of the time frame that it happened, we didn't need to divert anywhere,” she said.
Sunwing confirmed that paramedics then met the aircraft upon arrival in Toronto to provide further medical attention to the passenger.
“We are extremely grateful for the quick thinking, care and attention provided by our cabin crew, led by CSM Marisa Rodrigues, and the other passengers who assisted during a stressful situation while remaining focused and calm,” the airline said in a statement.
“I’m trying to hold back tears,” Rodrigues said.
It was the first time in 18 years she had ever done compressions on a passenger. She said medical episodes have happened with travellers fainting and facing anxiety.
“But nothing to this extent, ever.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.