Covering those who serve and live in our city
Sailors Save Veteran's Life at San Diego Zoo
NMCSD
Two sailors visiting the San Diego Zoo with their families resuscitated a man who had collapsed.
On the afternoon of Nov. 23, 65-year-old Navy veteran James Thompson collapsed at the zoo during a visit from Minnesota, the Naval Medical Center said in a statement Monday.
Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Stephanie Moor came to Thompson's aid and starting giving him CPR. Moor is a corpsman from the Cardiac Rehab clinic at NMCSD.
Ensign Janean Wujek, a registered nurse at the center, saw the crowd and came to Moor's side. She helped Moor with chest compressions and rescue breathing.
"When I arrived, the victim was not breathing," Wujek said in a statement. "He was blue as a blueberry and had a thready pulse, so we continued with chest compressions and rescue breathing."
Thompson was then transported to the hospital, where he stayed for eight days and had a pacemaker defibrillator implanted. He returned home this week.
"I'm at a loss for words," he said. "Their dedication to duty -- it's awesome. Coming to the aid of a complete stranger," Thompson said.
The two sailors were recognized and received a standing ovation at a NMCSD meeting this month.
