Family Travels From Rhode Island To Thank Squad Members
by Alex Brooks
On Sunday September 4, 17 year old Nathan Therien was driving through Petersburgh when he suddenly and very unexpectedly went into cardiac arrest. This was on Route 22 near the intersection with Prosser Hollow Road. Nathan’s 20 year old sister, Paige, was in the passenger seat and managed to bring the car to a stop by the side of the road. Their parents were in another car ahead of them, and when they realized their children’s car was not behind them they returned to where Nathan and Paige’s car had stopped. Luckily, Nathan’s father Matthew, an electrician, had been trained in CPR for his job, and he gave Nathan CPR while
they waited for the ambulance to arrive. Petersburgh Ambulance member Pam McDermott was the first to arrive, and she took over CPR until the rest of the Ambulance crew arrived. Not a minute too soon, recalled Matthew Therien, who said his arms and his psyche were at the point of exhaustion.
No sooner had the ambulance arrived than loud claps of thunder were heard, and bolts of lightning and a violent thunderstorm were upon them. They moved Nathan into the ambulance and headed north on Route 22 through the pouring rain. A few miles up the road they intersected with a professional medic from Bennington, Tara Kavanagh, who came down from Bennington in a “fly car.” She boarded the Petersburgh Ambulance and took charge of Nathan’s care with assistance from the Petersburgh crew.
Richard Snyder drove the Ambulance to Bennington Hospital through a blinding rainstorm and high winds, dodging fallen tree branches. The road was very dark because power was out through most of the area. At one point, the Ambulance aquaplaned and went up on two wheels when it regained traction, careening slightly off the road. But Snyder was able to regain control and get back on the road, and they made it to the hospital without further mishap.
After treatment at the Bennington emergency room, doctors decided Nathan needed to go to Albany Med, and, Med flights being out of the question because of the weather, he was transported there by ambulance. Nathan spent 11 days at Albany Med, where he ultimately had a pacemaker implanted in his chest. He is now under the care of doctors at Childrens Hospital in Boston.
All of the participants in this drama were reunited on Saturday December 17 at the Petersburgh Ambulance squad house. County Legislators Stan Brownell and Lester Goodermote presented the EMT personnel with certificates of commendation and “valorous action” pins. Recipients were Petersburgh Ambulance members Jordan and Tyler Baldwin, Pamela McDermott, Richard Snyder and Sue Daby, Bennington medic Tara Kavanagh and State Trooper Steve Eiseman.
Not A Dry Eye
Nathan’s mother, Jo-Ann, spoke to the group, telling the story of the incident and relating that Nathan’s doctors in Boston called it “miraculous” that he came through it with almost no damage to his brain. She said only about 8% of patients recover from this sort of incident as well as Nathan has. As she expressed her joy at Nathan’s recovery and her gratitude to the squad that saved him, there was not a dry eye in the building, including Nathan himself.
The doctors have not found the cause of the incident, and there continues to be some mystery about why Nathan’s heart is liable to have problems.
Jo-Ann Therien presented a book of personal messages from Nathan’s family and friends to each of the team members who responded. There were small essays from 15 to 20 people expressing their love for Nathan and their gratitude to the ambulance squad members who helped to save his life. They describe a bright young man, shy, well-mannered and thoughtful, with a quirky sense of humor, who loves skateboarding, music, movies, video games and hanging out at the beach.
After the ceremonies, Nathan and his family stayed and socialized with the ambulance crew for quite a while. They seemed as eager to get to know the people whose lives had intersected with theirs that fateful night as the ambulance crew was to get to know the young man whose life continues because of their expertise and quick response.
All four members of the Therien family came to the ceremony from their home in Narragansett, Rhode Island, along with Nathan’s grandparents Paul and Sandra, who also live in Narragansett. Nathan’s father Matthew Therien has been working at the Global Crossing project in Malta and has a temporary apartment in Johnsonville while he is working on that job. On the day of the incident, the whole family had been hiking on Mt. Greylock and were on their way back to Johnsonville when all of this occurred.