TORONTO
,
Sept. 29
/CNW/ - Ornge, Ontario's transport medicine service, is marking the 10th anniversary of its
Ottawa
air base. Media are invited to join us as we bring together for the first time since her cycling accident in July, patient Hilary McNamee and the Ornge critical care flight paramedics who cared for her during her transport by helicopter to the hospital. Since opening the doors to its dedicated base in
Ottawa
in
September 1999
, Ornge has transported more than 5,600 patients, or approximately 565 every year, from across Eastern Ontario.
Media are invited to Ornge's air base in
Ottawa
on
Wednesday, September 30
to hear this remarkable story and attend a Q&A with the participants.
Who: Hilary McNamee, Carleton University student and Ornge patient
Patrick Auger, critical care paramedic, Ornge
Marcie Beaudoin, critical care paramedic, Ornge
When: Wednesday, September 30 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Where: Ornge Ottawa air base, 2094 Alert Rd., Ottawa
Hilary's Story
An idyllic morning cycling trip abruptly turned into a nightmare for Ottawa's Hilary McNamee and her four friends. The 27-year old Carleton University social work student remembers laughing with her fellow cyclists as they rode their bicycles down March Road on a clear sunny day. Then the world turned black, and the next thing she remembers is waking up in hospital in excruciating pain, immobilized by a neck brace and in leg traction. Struck from behind by a minivan, the group suffered injuries that left
Ms. McNamee
in a body brace and using a walker.
Arriving at the crash, Ornge critical care paramedics
Patrick Auger
and
Marcie Beaudoin
were confronted by a chaotic scene of crushed bicycles and seriously injured riders. "Our calls primarily involve transporting people from outside the city limits, so when we received this one it seemed unusual at first,"
Ms. Beaudoin
said. "When we saw the devastation from this accident, however, it made sense that we were there."
Airlifted to The
Ottawa
Hospital by Ornge,
Ms. McNamee
says accounts of the crash from eyewitnesses have caused her to believe the paramedics who cared for her,
Patrick Auger
and
Marcie Beaudoin
, deserve to be given medals. "While I don't remember any of the crash itself, people who were present at the scene that day have reported to me personally how amazed they were by the calmness and competence exhibited by these paramedics. I'm so grateful to them for transporting me to the hospital so quickly and I look forward to being able to meet them in person to show my gratitude."
For further information: To register for this event, and for more information on Ornge, please contact: Lori McLeod, Ornge media relations, (647) 428-2107 or (416) 278-3496
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