Nurse Saves Runner With Compassion And Fast-Acting Skills: “I Just Did What I Had To Do!”

Giustino Racchini had a bit of a headache, but decided to go for his run anyway. The Penn State freshman was a member of a university club cross-country team and, most days, he ran between 3 and 5 miles. Today, though, the Plum, Pennsylvania, 19-year-old only managed 2 miles before the whole world went black.

At first, Jackie Stange thought the cars ahead were stopped because of a breakdown. The trauma nurse was taking her 4-year-old, Eloise, to gymnastics class. They’d left early that day so Eloise could get a donut on the way. With traffic stalled, Jackie was about to take a turnoff when she spotted Giustino lying in the middle of the road.

Pulling over, she told Eloise, “I’ll be right back. Mommy has to make sure somebody’s okay."

“I’m a nurse,” Jackie announced, kneeling beside Giustino. He wasn’t breathing, and had no pulse.

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Another motorist had already called 911 but from her training, Jackie knew she had only seconds to act and quickly began compressions.
“Come on, please breathe!” she urged, pressing with all her might — again and again.

Minutes passed like hours, but Jackie pushed on, desperately pumping the young man’s chest, looking for even the slightest movement. She was so focused she didn’t hear the approaching sirens. Not until a pair of strong hands clutched her by the shoulders.

Not wanting to get in the way, Jackie slipped away.

“I pray he’s okay,” she told Eloise’s instructor after relating the story. “The whole time I couldn’t stop thinking this is some other mother’s son. I can’t let him die.”

And thanks to her quick intervention, he didn’t.

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After restarting his heart, paramedics rushed Giustino to the hospital, where he was met by his parents.

“His heart simply stopped — cardiac arrest, and it’s likely genetic,” the doctors explained. To give Giustino’s heart a chance to rest, they sedated him and put him on a respirator.

It was three days before Giustino was brought out of sedation. “What happened?” he asked groggily, and his mom, Heather, related the details and told him about the stranger who had stopped to help.

Meanwhile, Jackie couldn’t get the young man out of her mind. So, she was excited when Eloise’s gymnastics instructor called telling her, “My neighbor told me her son collapsed in the road Monday.”

With her help, soon Jackie and Heather were talking on the phone and the next day, they met at the hospital.

“Mom says you saved me,” Giustino gripped Jackie’s hand.

“I just did what I’ve been trained to do,” Jackie protested, but Heather wouldn’t hear it.

“You saved his life. It’s that simple,” she insisted.

Doctors installed a defibrillator in case Giustino’s heart ever stops again, and after 10 days, he was home.

“Without Jackie, I wouldn’t be here,” he says gratefully.

“I’m just happy I was there, and everything worked out,” Jackie smiles.

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