Now fate came in. The first person on the scene, motorist Cathy Disney, stopped, went to the car, sat Mother up, thus opening her air passage. Aberdeen firemen Richard Allred and Curtis Holden (both EMTs) were nearby in their “Quick Response Vehicle” when they got the call. Allred immediately began CPR, assisted by Holden. There is no doubt that their first actions began the process that saved our mother’s life.
Aberdeen Fire Chief Tommy Brock, with Greg Beard and Phillip Richardson, arrived to assist Allred and Holden. A Southern Pines-based EMT unit transported Mother to FirstHealth’s Emergency Room. There another life saving team took over. They were outstanding.
Once stabilized, Mother moved to the Critical Care Unit, which we are sure is one of the reasons FirstHealth is one of the top regional hospitals in the country! Mother was moved to the “stepdown” unit on day two. These dedicated folks, along with several doctors, provided personalized, professional care. Mother was blessed to be in their hands.
The firemen, EMTs, ER professionals, CCU, Step Down Unit pros, and the doctors gave Mother her life back, and now she is yearning to get back to delivering Meals On Wheels.
As fate would have it, her health was restored at the very facility where she had lived, trained to become a registered nurse (then Moore Memorial) and worked for nearly three decades! The Cruce family will forever be indebted to Richard Allred and the dozens who answered the call. Moore County is indeed fortunate to have such well-trained and caring life savers within our midst.
Tom Cruce
Pinehurst
