Tulsa Nurse On Way Home From Vacation Helps 2 People With Medical Emergencies

A Tulsa nurse on her way home from vacation with her family helped save two people who were having medical emergencies. 

The Coffman family already has a couple memories from their Cancun vacation on their fridge, but the journey home turned out to be unforgettable. 

“It's something that any nurse would have done,” Melinda Coffman said.  

Coffman is a Registered Nurse, and while on a layover in St. Louis, her skills were needed in the women's restroom.  

"I went to go change my daughter's diaper and I heard someone say, ‘Are you okay? Are you okay?'" she said.  

She noticed a woman's foot sticking out of a stall and rushed over to help.  

"Crawled under the stall and I found a woman who was completely unconscious and pale and clammy,” Coffman said.  

She said the woman had low blood sugar, and Coffman asked those around her to call 911, and get juice. By the time paramedics got there a half hour later, she said the woman was stable and talking.  

Coffman’s four-year-old son Coy has a simpler explanation for what happened.  

"He goes, 'That's a diaper emergency!' He knew I went in to change his sister's diaper and then there was an emergency,” Coffman said. “So, he's claimed it the diaper emergency!"  

But there would be one more emergency before getting home to Tulsa.  

"As soon as we take off, there's a passenger in the front seat and the passenger tells the flight attendant, 'I think I have low blood sugar,'" Coffman said.

She said after the flight attendant gave the person a soda and snacks, an announcement went out asking for any doctors or nurses on board. 

"The flight attendant did a fantastic job of managing,” Coffman said.  

Coffman moved up a few rows and sat with the passenger. She said the passenger had enough sugar by then, so they switched to water. She also had the person recline and tried to keep the person calm but alert for the last 20 minutes of the flight. She said she also asked the Southwest flight crew to help make sure paramedics were on the ground when they landed.