News

Reservist's quick decisions, actions save neighbor's life

  • Published
  • By Sandra Pishner
  • 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  About four minutes is all it takes to go from car pooling dad to hero. 

Driving home from a meeting at his children's school with a neighboring parent, Lt. Col. Kevin Sampson, 313th Airlift Squadron, saw out of the corner of his eye the first signs of distress. His passenger, Claire Christian, appeared to be having a seizure. 

With her body clinching tight and guttural sounds emitting from her throat, the thought that she was simply experiencing chills quickly left Colonel Sampson's mind. With no response from his questions, the colonel knew the situation was serious. 

About this time, the car had reached a critical intersection. Colonel Sampson could turn right to their homes, or left toward the hospital. As Claire's situation manifested into a serious matter, he chose left. 

"She leaned over on me and her lips were blue. I reached into my mind for my limited CPR knowledge . All I could do at that point, while driving, was protect her airway by holding her head up," said the seasoned C-17 pilot. 

After turning left, Colonel Sampson started honking the car's horn, while simultaneously dialing Claire's husband, and holding her head up to keep her airway open. 

Reaching Claire's husband on the phone, Colonel Sampson tried to establish if she had a history of seizures or allergies she might be reacting too. None, according to her husband. 

Arriving at the emergency room of Tacoma General, Colonel Sampson bypassed the valets, despite their attempts to get him to stop, and pulled right up to two Emergency Medical Technicians just outside the emergency room doors. 

"I could see some EMTs, who happened to be there outside. Their patient was sitting up and apparently not urgent, so when they saw me honking and pointing to Claire, they voted that guy off the island and immediately came over to the car. They pulled her out of the car so fast her shoe came off," said Colonel Sampson. 

After taking the car back to the valet's Colonel Sampson went into the hospital and soon learned that Claire had suffered sudden cardiac arrest. 

"I could see over the curtain of the treatment area the doctor's hands with paddles in them, and could hear them yell 'clear,' " he said. 

"I was shocked that it was a heart attack. Her symptoms were not what you would expect. When I think of heart attack, I think about chest pains, or pain running down the left arm, shortness of breath. I was really surprised to learn later that it's very common for heart attack symptoms to manifest in women differently than men," said Colonel Sampson. 

Putting it all together, the time that passed from the first sign of Claire's distress to the doctors getting a normal pulse was about four minutes. 

About two minutes after arriving at the ER, Claire's husband and kids arrived; very upset naturally. At a loss as to what to tell them, Colonel Sampson was relieved when a nurse arrive to update the family on Claire's status. They had a pulse, had her stabilized and were moving her to intensive care. 

"I've known Claire and her family for about five years. Her kids are 9 and 5 and play with my kids. I waited about two and a half hours with them at the hospital, then my wife and I took their kids home with us and tried to maintain a sense of normalcy for them," explained Colonel Sampson. 

Colonel Sampson's actions did not go unnoticed. Claire's family wrote a letter to the squadron and the wing describing Colonel Sampson's actions and imploring them to put him in for medal. 

John Nagle, Claire's father, and Dawn Lucien, a family friend who works in the Tacoma office of Congressman Norm Dicks, notified the Congressman of one of America's finest Airmen and his actions. When Colonel Sampson attended a Reserve Congressional Orientation in May, Mr. Nagle arranged for a staff member from Congressman Dick's office to contact Colonel Sampson and take him to meet with the Congressman from Washington state. 

"He expressed his appreciation for my service and my actions in this situation," said Colonel Sampson. 

His actions, according to the colonel, sprang from 22 years of training in how to assess a situation quickly and react. 

"As a pilot, I try to see out situations to the nth degree. I could have easily just pulled over and called 911. But seconds count. I work in an environment where I have to make timely decisions all the time. I've flown into Iraq and Afghanistan and have been training for 22 years on how to quickly assess a situation. That training has paid off. Basically I've been raised to make quick decisions," Colonel Sampson explained. 

He's also learned over the years how to learn from every crisis. 

"I learned later that with this type of situation, there is a 1 in 100 chance of survival, and a 1 in 100 chance of surviving without any long term effects. 

"When they say heart attacks are silent killers in women, I now know that to be true. It was a real eye-opener for me. She didn't have the typical heart attack symptoms. Women experience heart attacks differently," said Colonel Sampson. 

Claire has since received a defibrillator and is still recovering. 

"I am currently attending physical therapy," said Claire. "I am working hard to get back to 100 percent, but they tell me it can take quite a bit of time to do so." 

According to doctors, recovery can take from six months to a year and what long-term effects may remain is yet to be seen. 

"The fact that I survived is a miracle and I have Colonel Sampson to thank," said Claire. "His quick thinking saved my life and I am so truly grateful." 

She is also grateful for all the support Colonel Sampson's wife, Sylvie, has given her and her family during and following her stay in the hospital. 

According to Claire's father Mr. Nagle, the hospital staff reported that Claire was the only cardiac patient at Tacoma General to survive that weekend in February. Mr. Nagle says they attribute that to Colonel Sampson doing all the right things. 

Colonel Sampson has been submitted for the Meritorious Service Medal according to Lt. Col. Richard Grayson, 313th AS commander. He anticipates having the medal publicly presented in October when the squadron has its primary Commander's Call. Colonel Sampson will invite Claire and her extended family to the presentation.