A group of first responders in DeSoto were honored with the city’s Life-Saver Award after coming to the aid of a woman who collapsed on Christmas Eve.
Gale Ward, 77, had stopped breathing but was saved by a team effort – including her grandson, who was taught how to do CPR by 911 operators over the phone.
The group of firefighters, 911 operators, and EMTs who participated in the rescue effort were honored with a presentation during Monday night’s city council meeting.
It marked the first time that Gale Ward’s son was able to thank the men and women since the near-fatal incident.
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“Just to be able to thank them in person, obviously they’re in the middle of doing their job, and they were certainly professional and saved her life without a doubt,” Jeff Ward said.
On Christmas Eve, Jeff Ward was heading to his mother’s home on Rickey Canyon Drive to gather and celebrate with family.
He soon got a call from his brother: Gale Ward had collapsed; she wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse.
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“I really thought that we had lost my mom that night,” Jeff Ward said. “I thought there was no way that a Christmas miracle was going to occur, but it did.”
When Jeff Ward arrived at the home, he found firefighters conducting chest compressions. They had taken over for Ward’s 19-year-old nephew, who had to be taught CPR over the phone by a 911 operator.
After 8 minutes, Gale Ward had a pulse again, and an ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital.
She was put in a medically induced coma but survived, and nearly two months later, she’s now back home with her family.
“What an honor tonight to be able to present life-saving awards to our firefighters and our dispatchers at the SWRCC,” said Bryan Southard, Fire Chief for the city of DeSoto.
On Monday night, the first responders who came to Ward’s aid received the city’s Life-Saver Award and were met with a standing ovation.
Additionally, Jeff Ward got to thank them for giving him his mom back.
“I just know that my mom having lived here over 50 years, she’s very proud and very thankful of all the people that showed up that night,” Ward said. “And she has her life to thank those folks for.”
