A woman was delayed in a snowstorm over the weekend while en route to have a heart transplant, according to New York State Troopers.
On Friday, a 64-year-old woman and her spouse became trapped on State Route 5 in the town of Portland, Chautauqua County, while traveling from the Rochester region to the Cleveland Clinic for the transplant. When the weather and traffic conditions deteriorated, troopers reported that she was using a battery-operated heart pump.
The couple was located using a NYSP Utility Task Vehicle after the woman’s husband called a clinic nurse, who in turn called the NYSP. The woman was airlifted out of the area to Cleveland Clinic for the heart transplant after troopers took her to the Jamestown Airport in Chautauqua County, where she was safe from the storm.
This is an amazing tale of cooperation and tenacity! Even in the face of extreme weather, the activities of the transportation crews, medical personnel, and troopers demonstrate how vital cooperation and prompt decision-making can save lives. Despite the difficulties caused by the snowfall, it is encouraging to witness such commitment to making sure a patient receives a life-saving heart transplant, stated Troop A Public Information Officer James O. Callaghan.
On behalf of her family, a Facebook user thanked police for the woman, who has not been named.
The profound appreciation my family and I have for you is beyond words, they wrote. You saved my mother! Each and every cop that helped her reach safety and, hopefully, her new heart is blessed by God.
According to authorities, between Thanksgiving and Sunday, there were over 100 instances of troopers helping damaged vehicles and collisions along I-90 from Erie County to the Pennsylvania state line.
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