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Outpatient Surgery Center (OPSC) Operating Room Nurse Managers Heather Lonjin, MSN, RN, CNOR, and Raven Ortiz, BSN, RN, CNOR, are being hailed as heroes for coming to the rescue of OPSC Sterile Supply Supervisor Tim Stanley at the Battle Building.

“I was eating lunch in our office and all of a sudden found myself choking,” says Stanley. “I was by myself, so I panicked a little and didn’t know what to do.”

Stanley says he ran into the hallway and luckily, Lonjin and Ortiz were walking by. “I signaled to them I was choking — and they quickly jumped into action to help. After some Heimlich maneuver attempts, the food in my windpipe dislodged and I was able to breathe again!”

Adds Stanley, “I’m so grateful for and appreciative of their quick response and help in a situation that could’ve been much worse. They’re amazing people and I am so thankful for them!”

"The whole incident happened so quickly," recalls Lonjin. "If we'd come by the office even five seconds earlier, Tim could've been in real trouble. We were in the right place at the right time."

"I'm thankful we were walking by and able to intervene quickly, and I'm grateful Tim is doing well!" says Ortiz.

“This occurred in a back hallway, and it's likely that if Heather and Raven had not come along — Tim likely wouldn’t have been found for some time," describes Joseph Hulsebusch, MSHA, BSN, RN, CGRN, Director, Outpatient Surgery Sites. "It was truly a life saved!”