Every day, Cooper employees do remarkable things – they serve others and save lives. That dedication often extends beyond the walls of Cooper. As ambassadors, we are fortunate to be able to hear and share the remarkable stories of heroism by Cooper employees in the community.
On March 5, 2020, Cooper Co-Presidents/CEOs Kevin O’Dowd, JD, and Anthony Mazzarelli, MD, JD, MBE, honored one of those special employees – Annie Ahmeti, an advanced practice nurse in Vascular Surgery. On February 13, Annie’s quick thinking and action saved a man’s life.
After working all day, Annie went to the gym for her usual evening kickboxing class. While chatting with friends after class, she saw a group of people running toward a man lying on the floor.
Annie, who has been a Cooper employee since 2010, arrived at the scene only to find a group of people standing by – but no one was assisting the person on the floor. She quickly established that he was unresponsive and did not have a pulse. She took control of the scene, directing the people around her to bring her the automated external defibrillator (AED), call 911, clear the way, and go to the front of the gym to wait for EMS to arrive.
Annie was the only person in the crowd who knew CPR. She connected the man to the AED, delivered a shock, and performed six to seven rounds of CPR without any help.
By the time the medics arrived, the patient was awake and talking!
When Annie returned to the gym the following day, the crowd gave her a standing ovation. She also received an update from the gym that the patient is doing very well.
Recently, members of Annie’s department were on hand for a celebration as she received the Cooper Heroism Award.
“We are proud to have someone of Annie’s caliber representing Cooper. She truly embodies Cooper’s mission and is an outstanding employee and citizen,” said Kevin O’Dowd.
“We are extremely proud of the work you do here at Cooper every day, and we are in awe of your heroic actions on February 13,” added Dr. Mazzarelli.
