Nurses call man's survival a miracle
On the spot, 5 fought to save alligator victim
The Post and Courier
Nurses Sally Ani (left) and Jo Losa Masauding recount on Monday the events from the day before, when they administered first aid to a man whose arm was bitten off by an alligator at Lake Moultrie.
On the spot, 5 fought to save alligator victim
MONCKS CORNER — It looked like a gunshot wound. Maybe a stabbing. Maybe even a hoax.
Five local nurses didn't know what was happening when a bleeding man staggered toward them calling for help and then collapsed — but they knew what to do.
Sally Ani and Marisol Dalusong immediately dug their bare hands into the man's shoulder to try to stop the bleeding with pressure. The blood kept oozing through their fingers.
Ani, a registered nurse for 42 years, shouted to the 100 or so people for a towel. No one had one. "I was about to take my shirt off and put it on him," she said.
At that moment, she said a little prayer, "Blessed mother, I need a towel. I need a towel right now."
Ani looked under the table and there was a towel. "I looked at it and I said, 'Thank you.' "
A day later, Bill Hedden's condition had been upgraded to fair, according to a Medical University Hospital spokeswoman.
The nurses say it was no accident that they were some 50 yards away Sunday when Hedden's arm was torn off by an alligator while swimming in Lake Moultrie on Sunday at the Short Stay Naval Recreational Park. "I think it's a miracle," said Jo Losa Masauding, a critical care nurse at the Medical University of South Carolina.
After all, the women were there that day with the Bicol Association of Charleston, a Roman Catholic group, as part of a three-day celebration honoring their patron saint, the Virgin of Penafrancia. It was the Virgin Mother, they said, who answered their prayers. "We believe the Blessed Mother directed him to go to that place," said Ani, the organization's founder.
The nurses stayed with Hedden for 15 minutes until paramedics arrived and put him into a helicopter. It seemed like forever, they said. The man was losing blood fast.
Ani, who was front and center in a picture on the front page of Monday's Post and Courier, put the towel on his shoulder and then some ice, but his blood pressure kept falling.
"I thought we stopped the bleeding, but I felt the warmth of the towel getting wetter and wetter," she said.
They talked to him. Told him stories about the Blessed Mother. Maybe a joke or two. Anything to keep him relaxed.
The 59-year-old Hedden never lost consciousness and, just as important, never lost his spirit. "He was so very determined," Masauding said. "He was so determined to stay awake and so determined to call his wife."
He was so grateful, they said. "He would look up and say thank you," Ani said. "I said, 'It's OK, don't worry about it.' "
A day later, the events still cycle through their minds. Masauding, a critical care nurse for 38 years, has seen trauma victims before. Ani, an oncology nurse, has not. She took off from work Monday because she couldn't stop shaking. "It got so emotional," Ani said. "I thought, 'What if?' "
Ani knew Monsignor Simon Peter Ignacio was there in case they needed to read last rites. Thankfully, she said, it never got to that.
"I'm so glad he's OK," she said. "It's just a matter of trying to pull yourself together and see what you did at the call of duty."
Grace Osea and Mercy Salvatierra were the other nurses who helped. Lilian Losa Navarro, Masauding's sister who is a registered nurse visiting from San Diego, also pitched in.
The nurses all were relieved when the paramedics showed up. They knew he would survive; Masauding called Hedden's wife and told her so.
When they were done, as the Berkeley County EMS paramedics loaded him into the helicopter, the women gathered one more time with the rest of their organization and said a prayer.
Reach Andy Paras at 745-5891 or aparas@postandcourier.com.
E-mail this story
Printer-friendly version
Comments
kma71 (anonymous) says...
I really do believe it was a miracle that those women were there! God bless them and Mr. Hedden.
September 18, 2007 at 7:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
charlene68 (anonymous) says...
Im so glad those women were there and responded like they did, it probably meant his life if they had not have been there, Im glad to know there are still some good and caring people in the world. My prayers to the gentlemen and hope he recovers soon., and my thanks to the women for their kindness.
September 18, 2007 at 8:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RTC (anonymous) says...
flyboy, you make me want to puke.
If we are all lucky a gator will snatch you from the neck up. No big loss there.
September 18, 2007 at 4:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
beemz (anonymous) says...
Thats very MEAN flyboy68...
How if that was one of your relative what would you say then?
P.E.T.T.
September 18, 2007 at 4:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justathought (anonymous) says...
Flyboy, people like you are a dime a dozen. Your a disgrace to society. You are so stupid you make me sick.
September 18, 2007 at 4:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justathought (anonymous) says...
His relatives probaly dont claim him. Do you blame them???
September 18, 2007 at 4:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RTC (anonymous) says...
I have worked with a lot of Filipino nurses, and I have to say that they are some of the smartest and most caring people on this planet. Those ladies literally did save Mr. Hedden's life. Thank goodness they didn't have flyboy's attitude. A caring human being will save anyone's life regardless of their skin color. I can promise you that these ladies never even thought about Mr. Hedden's ethnicity. They did what they were trained to do, and they did an exceptional job.
I, for one, am glad to know that people of their character are out there. I also do not believe it was coincidence that they were there that day, and I'm sure the family feels the same way. Bless all of them.
September 18, 2007 at 5:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
iculukin (anonymous) says...
Flyboy and NancyN must be related. They're both idiots. I can't believe a situation like this can bring out such remarks from people of your caliber. Your parents must be proud!
September 18, 2007 at 6:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Follymom06 (anonymous) says...
To NancyN: Please allow me to clarify, because based on your comment about "religious icons," you are obviously totally ignorant of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Catholics do not pray TO anyone but God Himself (there are no golden calves in our churches - please feel free to have a look-see for yourself;) we do however, ask for the intercessary prayers of the Blessed Mother. The basis for this is the fact that Jesus will deny his mother nothing, and the very first miracle He performed was turning water into wine... at his mother's request. You can look that one up yourself in this awesome book you should read (instead of posting derogatory comments about others' faith,)it's called THE BIBLE.
What these nurses did is truly extraordinary, regardless of their religious denomination. Why pick on them for their faith?
September 18, 2007 at 8:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dreamer (anonymous) says...
I was about to say something along the same lines...THANK YOU, Folly Mom.
First, the fact that there was someone there to save Mr. Hedden's life is a MIRACLE!
Flyboy, this was a gruesome accident that has caught worldwide attention. If Mr. Hedden had been injured in a car accident, you wouldn't call him an idiot (yet, driving in NYC for three years, I'd compare my hazards to swimming with gators!)
Lighten up--and be thankful that he survived.
--Dreamer
September 18, 2007 at 8:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
glovla (anonymous) says...
Thank You Follymom but u know that some people will never understand the extent of any religion. Some will continue to live their lives as hateful and ignorant people and soon it will be to late for them to make any type of change for i'm sure you know what is said in the word. God Bless the nurses and the survivor of the attack.
September 18, 2007 at 8:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bigriversdad (anonymous) says...
NancyN,
You're a real class act.
September 18, 2007 at 10:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Postandcourier.com is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Postandcourier.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by signing up!
Full terms and conditions can be read here.