Flight attendant saves life of passenger whose ‘heart stopped’ mid-air

Cool-headed crew member has been working on flights for 18 years

Marisa Rodrigues has been a flight attendant for 18 years (Sunwing; supplied)

A flight attendant saved the life of a passenger who went into cardiac arrest on Tuesday, while their plane was flying over Canada.

Cabin crew member Marisa Rodrigues was working on a Sunwing flight from Cancun to Toronto on 27 September when the medical emergency was declared.

As the crew were preparing for landing at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, Ms Rodrigues says she noticed that a passenger’s call light was flashing repeatedly.

She went to the passenger’s row to find a woman having a seizure, she told CTV News Toronto, adding that her heart had “stopped”.

Ms Rodrigues has been a flight attendant for 18 years and is also the Cabin Safety Manager (CSM).

She told CTV News: “I noticed that [the woman’s] fingers and around her mouth and face started to turn blue and purple and her face was grey.

“I had to take her from her seat, put her down on the seat, lay her down and start CPR immediately.”

Ms Rodrigues says she carried out chest compressions to pump air into the woman’s lungs.

She was helped by two passengers, she added – a nurse and a medical student who happened to be on the flight. They prepared to use oxygen and an automated external defibrillator (AED).

“As that was being placed on, we realised that she had a heartbeat... it was very, very shallow and very, very low,” Ms Rodrigues said, adding: “She came through.”

Sunwing confirmed that a passenger was in medical distress on the flight from Cancun to Toronto on Tuesday.

As the plane approached Pearson International Airport in Toronto, the captain declared a medical emergency landing so that the plane could get priority over other aircraft that were also arriving.

There was no need for a diversion as the plane was already preparing to land at the airport when the woman went into cardiac arrest, the airline said.

Sunwing said paramedics gave further medical attention to the passenger when the plane landed.

The airline said in a statement: “We are extremely grateful for the quick thinking, care and attention provided by our cabin crew, led by CSM Marisa Rodrigues, and the other passengers who assisted during a stressful situation while remaining focused and calm.”