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Maria Mennicke performs CPR on a runner who collapsed. Photo by WBZ-TV
Maria Mennicke, MD, wanted her mother-in-law, who is visiting from Switzerland, to experience in person the excitement of the Boston Marathon. Both got more than they expected as Mennicke found herself helping to save a 64-year-old runner who collapsed in front of the cheering crowd near Kenmore Square.
“When I saw him collapsing, I didn’t think twice. I just jumped over the barrier and tried to see what was wrong with him,” said Mennicke, an ultrasound fellow in the Department of Emergency Medicine, who checked for the man’s breathing and pulse. When she felt nothing, she immediately began to administer CPR along with the runner’s son until an ambulance arrived at the scene.
On Tuesday, Mennicke visited the patient and his family in a nearby hospital where he is recovering.
“It was a special moment,” said Mennicke, who added that some tears were shed during the reunion. “Without saying it, we all knew how much worse this could have been.”
Ron Walls, MD, chairman of the BWH department of Emergency Medicine, added, “Maria's prompt, expert response in this crisis undoubtedly made the difference.”