Whitaker recognized by county for saving student's life

As reported in the Feb. 7 issue of Pawprint, Teresa (Terri) Whitaker, office manager at the Sage Management Library in the Johnson School and a trained emergency medical technician, recently saved the life of a Cornell student who had gone into cardiac arrest.

After the student collapsed in the Sage Atrium on Jan. 25, Whitaker was called to the scene and was able to restart the student's pulse by administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation and using a defibrillator. She stabilized him until Bangs Ambulance paramedics arrived and rushed him to Cayuga Medical Center, where he recuperated. Whitaker had never led such a rescue situation but said her training had served her well.

Whitaker was recently recognized by the Tompkins County Legislature for her actions, along with local resident Frank Towner, who had responded to a similar incident on Feb. 15 at Ithaca's YMCA. Both received the legislature's Distinguished Citizen of the Month award for saving lives through CPR and use of a defibrillator. Thanking the two recipients, legislator Greg Stevenson characterized the incidents as "great examples of somebody who might not be with us today were it not for a citizen who knew what to do and how to do it." The awards are sponsored by Bangs Ambulance, A&B Awards and Engraving, Purity Ice Cream and Cayuga Radio Group.

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