When Sheri Warkentin and Denise Geck helped a man in distress, they simply responded in a manner befitting a nurse, they say.
When Sheri Warkentin and Denise Geck came to the aid of a man in distress, they simply responded in a manner befitting a nurse. Nothing more, nothing less, they say.
Only later did the two nurses from Saskatchewan find out they helped save the life of a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The Calgary Police Service recently honoured Warkentin, Geck and a Calgary resident who helped save Lanny McDonald’s life when he experienced a cardiac event at the Calgary International Airport in February.
Warkentin didn’t know who the man she helped was until a police officer approached her later in the airport and let her know it was McDonald.
“I would have helped anyone,” she said.
Warkentin and Geck, from Kelvington, are both nurses in Saskatchewan but didn’t know each other before the incident. Warkentin said they didn’t speak immediately after the incident due to the “chaos,” though they were able to connect several months later through McDonald.
Geck, in a Facebook post, said she “was part of a team of helpers both on and off duty who happened to be in the right place and time to help someone who needed it this past February.
“I didn’t know at the time who he was or even if he would survive when my part was done. I want to just remind each to use whatever skills you have when they’re needed.”
Warkentin said she had been with her husband when they came around a corner in the airport and “things just looked weird.” They kept walking before noticing a man on the ground who appeared to be receiving CPR.
She handed her bag to her husband and rushed to help.
“My brain was going so fast,” said Warkentin, who currently lives in Davidson.
Warkentin and the police constable exchanged information, and he later nominated her, along with the two others, for the Award of Exceptional Recognition for Life Saving at Calgary Police Service Chief’s Awards Gala, which took place last week.
The Flames legend made an effort to reach out to his lifesavers once he was in good health and able to find their contact information. McDonald and Warkentin were able to speak on the phone before the awards ceremony.
“He is an amazing man,” Warkentin said.
McDonald, who attended the awards ceremony with his wife Ardell, told Postmedia in a statement that it was an honour to attend the event, and that he watched with pride as “my life savers Jose, Denise, Sheri, and Rajdeep receive their awards.
“As the recipient of not only their excellent training, but of their selflessness and care, I cannot explain my gratitude for their brave actions.”
McDonald said he and his wife were “humbled to sit in a room full of heroes, surrounded by first responders and citizens alike who have made a difference in so many lives.”
Warkentin echoed those sentiments about being at the gala, saying “it’s very humbling to be in a room of that many people getting such amazing awards for their bravery and their leadership.”
McDonald said he has four new lifelong friends, and that he is proud to know them.
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