Researchers say the US government tried to erase sexual orientation from their findings
Violent clashes as Turkey protests continue over detention of Erdogan’s main political rival
Under threat from Trump, Columbia University agrees to policy changes
Trump administration cuts legal help for migrant children traveling alone
Twitter bird sign sells for nearly $35,000 at auction
Canada's oldest company to liquidate all but 6 stores starting Monday
Rick Pitino and John Calipari share a mutual respect. Just don't call them friends
Ole Miss holds off frantic UNC comeback to beat Tar Heels 71-64 in NCAA Tournament
Major League Baseball removes references to `diversity' from MLB Careers home page
BALTIMORE (WBAL) -- A Howard County physician assistant on board a flight from Hawaii to California saved the life of a fellow passenger.
Dr. Jacquelyn Lacera, 61, describing her flight home from her honeymoon in Hawaii, saying she got really sick about an hour into the flight.
"I became really nauseous. I was close to the restroom, ran to the restroom and started vomiting, and I became very sweaty, and then I started to have very bad chest pains," Lacera told 11 News.
Fellow passenger Emily Haley, an emergency room physician assistant at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, was also returning from a vacation on the Big Island with her family.
"We're just getting settled, about to go to sleep for an overnight flight, and there was a call for medical assistance," Haley told 11 News.
Haley answered the call, first checking Lacera's vital signs. Haley figured out pretty quickly that Lacera was having some type of arrhythmia.
"Once we had her blood pressure cuff attached, I saw she was hypertensive. We both talked, and I knew I had to act quickly," Haley told 11 News.
When Haley learned Lacera is a doctor, they began working together. Haley gave Lacera fluids and oxygen and laid her down, but Lacera was still deteriorating. So, Haley decided she needed to use a defibrillator.
"We talked about it, and I said, 'I think I need to shock you.' I said, 'I don't have a choice.' And, she said, 'Let's do it,'" Haley told 11 News.
"I said, 'OK, this is a shockable rhythm.' That was a decision that had to be made. She looked at me, I looked at her, and I said, 'Do it,'" Lacera told 11 News. "That was the most painful thing I've ever been through."
But it worked. It helped to stabilize Lacera until the plane landed in California.
While this story has a happy ending, Lacera reached out to her congressman about what she said was a lack of proper medical equipment on board the plane. She said she hasn't heard back.
However, the airline did send Haley a letter, thanking her for her help.
"I'm just so happy she is doing well, and I hope to stay in touch, hope she's connected to me forever," Haley told 11 News.
"It's amazing. God put her in that situation, and she did everything right. It was wonderful," Lacera told 11 News.
Lacera is still on the mend and has some heart procedures ahead of her.
