'My guardian angels': Saskatoon woman meets the paramedics who saved her life
Medavie Health Services West kicked off paramedic services week with a rare reunion — first responders got to meet the woman whose life they saved.
In a profession where lives often hang in the balance, it's less common to catch up with clients when the crisis is over.
“I have a different name for Matt and Mitch, they’re my guardian angels," said Nicole Craig, describing the two paramedics who saved her life last Monday.
Matt McGurk and Mitchell Sparrow are the ones who were on the job that day.
“There are no words that I can say that would fully express my gratitude to them. I stand here with the utmost sincerity and say thank you and showing my appreciation and acknowledgment for the impact you’ve now had on my life,” Craig said.
Craig went to the Medavie headquarters a few days later and in addition to paying her bill, she requested to meet the pair that got her heart beating again.
“It’s pretty special that we get to meet you here again today. Thankfully we were just one block away when the call came in, and minutes and seconds are of the utmost importance — especially in that situation,” paramedic Mitchell Sparrow told CTV News.
The rescue happened on a street bench in downtown Saskatoon. Craig felt lightheaded and doesn’t remember much after that. It was a quick-thinking coworker who called 911 immediately.
“The stars were aligned that day. We were literally a block away, and that rarely happens, and you were outside, and we got there and started CPR, two shocks right away,” McGurk said.
Those shocks from the defibrillator, along with chest compressions, got the 45-year-old’s heart pumping again.
“It’s been enlightening and definitely something I don’t want to experience again,” Craig said.
McGurk says that while this ended up with a positive outcome, their job can be rife with emotionally painful situations.
McGurk, who has been on the job for 22 years, is thankful there are more supports in place to deal with the stressors paramedics face on the job.
“We’re getting to the point where the industry and practitioners are starting to say 'it’s ok for me to say I’m not ok.' I wouldn’t have said that five years ago,” McGurk said.
As for Craig, she says being given a second chance at life has given her a new perspective.
“I think I’m just slowing down and appreciating things more, and being more present.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6978861.1722008569!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
At least 4 buildings burned at Jasper Park Lodge, others damaged: Fairmont memo
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge said Thursday afternoon most of its structures are "standing and intact," including its iconic main lodge.
Major Canadian bank dealing with direct deposit outage on pay day
Scotiabank has acknowledged technical difficulties affecting direct deposits as clients report missed payments Friday morning. On Friday morning, the bank's client services phone line was playing an automated message assuring customers that work was underway to rectify the outage.
'He was just gone': Police ramp up search for vulnerable 3-year-old boy in Mississauga, Ont.
Police in Mississauga are conducting a full-scale search of the city’s biggest park for a non-verbal toddler who went missing Thursday evening. Sgt. Jennifer Trimble told reporters Friday morning that there has been no trace of three-year-old Zaid Abdullah since 6:20 p.m., when he was last seen with his parents in Erindale Park, near Dundas Street West and Mississauga Road.
Elon Musk's estranged daughter calls out his 'entirely fake' claims about her childhood
Vivian Jenna Wilson, Elon Musk's estranged daughter, publicly refuted several recent anti-trans statements her Tesla CEO and X owner father has made about her.
Reported rate of child pornography increased 52% in 2023, total crime up 3%: Statistics Canada
Last year, reported child pornography cases increased by more than 50 per cent in Canada, in part due to more cases being sent to police by specialized internet child exploitation units, according to a Statistics Canada report.
Sask. appeal court says anti-trans group cannot join constitutional dispute over pronoun law
Saskatchewan’s Court of Appeal has denied a political group that opposes so-called “gender ideology” intervener status in a legal dispute over the province’s controversial pronoun law.
Justin Timberlake's attorney disputes he was intoxicated when arrested for DWI
A hearing in the case of Justin Timberlake being accused of driving while intoxicated was held Friday, where an attorney for the singer disputed his arrest in June.
What we know about 'malicious' attack on French train network ahead of Olympics opening
French transport was thrust into chaos Friday just hours ahead of the Olympics 2024 opening ceremony after a series of co-ordinated 'malicious acts' upended high-speed train lines.Here's what happened and what we know so far.
When Barbie learned what a gynecologist was, so did many other people, according to new study
A new study published Thursday in the journal JAMA Network Open has found that the ending in the 2023 blockbuster film 'Barbie' had an influence on online search interest in terms around gynecology, the branch of medicine that deals with women’s reproductive health.