Stranger’s quick-thinking saves honeymooning doctor’s life in mid-flight medical emergency

A stranger on a flight from Hawaii jumped to save the life of a doctor mid-air as she suffered a serious heart complication on her return from her honeymoon. 

Dr. Jacquelyn Lacera, 61, became horribly ill about an hour into her flight home on February 5, only to be saved by a fellow passenger, Emily Haley, who happened to work in an emergency room. 

Lacera, a doctor at Riverside Medical Clinic in California, had been on a week-long trip for her honeymoon when she began suffering a medical emergency on the flight home. 

She told Fox 19: ‘I became really nauseous. Thankfully, I was very close to the restroom. So, I ran to the restroom and started vomiting. I became very sweaty… and then, I started having very bad chest pains.’

Haley, who works at Maryland’s Medstar Franklin Square Medical Center as a physician assistant, was flying home with her family when disaster struck.

‘We’re just getting settled about to go to sleep for an overnight flight, and there was a call overhead for medical assistance,’ Haley said. 

Haley jumped into action on board the flight and worked with the doctor to help save her life. 

At first, she couldn’t get a clear reading on the doctor’s condition. 

‘I was kind of a little bit distressed at this point,’ Haley told The Baltimore Sun. ‘Basically, I had no information. I just knew that she looked terrible.’ 

She checked Lacera’s vital signs and soon discovered that she was suffering a type of arrhythmia – an irregularity in heartbeat which requires urgent medical attention. 

‘Once we had her blood pressure cuff attached, I saw that she was hypertensive. So, at that moment, we both talked, and I knew that I needed to act quickly,’ Haley said. 

Haley gave Lacera fluids and oxygen and laid her down, but her condition was still worsening. 

‘We talked about it, and I said, “I think I need to shock you. I don’t have a choice,” and she said, “Let’s do it.”‘ Haley said, deciding it was time to use a defibrillator. 

‘I said “Okay, this is a shockable rhythm.” That was a decision that had to be made at that minute, at that second. I just looked at her and she looked at me. She was like, “Okay, says it’s shockable,” and I said, “Do it,”‘ Lacera said, People reported. 

‘That was the most painful thing I’ve ever been through,’ she added. 

Yet, it worked and Lacera was stabilized enough until they landed in California. 

A physician assistant’s role can include managing patients’ paperwork, record keeping, ordering medications or laboratory work. 

However, many can gain qualifications in emergency response medicinal procedures such as wound care, cast and splint application, lumbar punctures and diagnostic procedures. 

Haley’s heroic actions will forever be remembered by Lacera. 

‘She was incredibly knowledgeable, incredibly calm and she did everything right. I was so thankful for her. It was like God sent me an angel in this whole situation because it could have turned out very bad,’ she told the Baltimore Sun. 

Once the plane landed, the doctor was taken to be assessed by emergency responders. 

‘I remember walking out and [Lacera] just leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek, and I was just touched,’ Haley told the outlet. ‘It was just a crazy moment.’ 

American Airlines sent Haley a letter to thank her, Haley said: ‘I’m just so happy [Lacera] is doing well, and again, I hope to stay in touch, hope she’s connected to me forever.’ 

While Lacera has some heart procedures ahead, she began another battle and reached out to her congressman to point out the lack of proper medical equipment on board the plane. 

The Federal Aviation Administration requires all commercial aircrafts are equipped with an emergency medical kit that includes a minimum of 25 items such as syringes, IV fluid and more, as well as a first aid kit and an automated external defibrillator. 

‘We have this in hospitals all the time where there’s room to improve,’ Haley said. 

‘I feel like this is probably one of those opportunities where hopefully we can learn from this and hopefully the airline can improve, and we can all take something away from it.’ 

Lacera began cardiac rehab this week and hopes to return to work soon, the Baltimore Sun reported. 

Haley told the outlet she was ‘kind of proud’ to have ‘played such a pivotal role in her life.’ 

‘I just felt touched,’ she said.