Two paramedics attending a University of Limerick Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome awareness event sprung into action earlier this afternoon.
Paramedics Pat McCarthy and Joe O’Connor were scheduled to appear at University of Limerick’s SADS awareness event when a student suffered an epileptic seizure on campus.
Both men stopped the seizure and the student was brought to University Hospital Limerick where they made a full recovery the same Thursday afternoon.
First responder was Plaza Café’s Pink Lady staff member Marian Kennedy who noticed the student wasn’t their normal “friendly and very bubbly” self. She adds: “I don’t know whether they understood what I was saying… they were just nodding.”
After directing the student outside for fresh air and tending to them, Mrs Kennedy spotted the paramedics and waved them over: “I told them that the student was clammy and hot and they just weren’t feeling right.”
Community Engagement Officer Pat McCarthy recaps the incident: “I turned to get some equipment so we could check the student out. When I looked back, Joe had the student on the floor and they were having a full tonic-clonic seizure.
“I got my drugs bag from the ambulance and we administered medication to stop the seizure which it did.”
Paramedic Joe O’Connor praises Mrs Kennedy for her reaction: “The lady behind the counter was very good and switched on – she had it all under control to be fair. The ambulance was called before we even got there.”
Mr McCarthy says they were lucky to be nearby and address the student: “It was just ‘right place, right time’. We just happened to be here.
“As big as the campus is, we were only ten seconds away from them.”
