Sheppard employee answers call to save a life Published Sept. 25, 2007 By Staff Sgt. Tonnette Thompson 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- When Adrian Sibayan decided to pick up a ringing phone on his way out the door from work at Sheppard Air Force Base this summer, he had no idea that answering the call would put him in a life-or-death situation. Instead of leaving work, he went back to answer the phone. He answered and heard the voice of a frantic mother trying to save her son's life. A mother's nightmare For Suzy Haudenshild, it all began with a scream. The 82nd Services Squadron veterinary clinic automation clerk had called in sick the morning of Aug. 9, and stayed home with her son, Nicholas, 20, and his girlfriend, Ashley. "It was just a bad feeling," Mrs. Haudenshild said. "Call it mother's intuition, but I just knew I needed to be home that day." Ashley was with Nicholas as he sat on his bed and carried on a phone conversation. Ashley watched Nicholas suddenly lose consciousness and begin to turn blue, his head slumping to one side. Moments later, Mrs. Haudenshild awoke from a nap with her granddaughter by Ashley's loud, frantic pleas for help. She found her son with no pulse. "My son was dying," she said. Mrs. Haudenshild, a fire department emergency medical technician in the 1980s, knew deep down what she needed to do. However, the panic of a parent whose child is in danger eclipsed her training to the point where she couldn't even remember to dial 911. A call for help After Ashley made the call to 911, Mrs. Haudenshild tried to fight through her fear and think. She had to help her son, but couldn't do it alone. Her husband was unreachable in a meeting. Waiting for the paramedics to arrive might cost Nicholas his life. "I knew I needed to call someone for help now," she said. "I have been here for 10 years and know so many numbers, but at that moment I could only think of one." Seconds later, a phone in the building maintenance section of the base clinic rang. Adrian Sibayan, an assistant facility manager for the 82nd Medical Support Squadron, had already called it a day and was heading for the exits when he heard his phone from down the hall. He could have kept walking and let his voicemail pick up. Instead, he doubled back to his office, unlocked the door and took the call. "It happens all the time," Mr. Sibayan said. "A water line break, air conditioning broken. These calls don't always come during business hours, so you have to be ready to answer the phone whenever." Instead of a complaint about a leaky roof, Mr. Sibayan found a near-hysterical mother on the line, begging for help with her dying son -- a mother with a familiar voice. "He recognized me from all the times I've called from the vet clinic," Mrs. Haudenshild said. Mr. Sibayan said he instructed Mrs. Haudenshild to move Nicholas to the floor in case chest compressions were needed. As she complied, the change in position improved Nicholas' condition and a weak pulse emerged. From there, Mr. Sibayan calmly talked her through the steps of CPR, and as he did so, Mrs. Haudenshild's training came back to her. Finally, with a spasm and a spew of vomit, Nicholas was breathing again. When paramedics arrived, they found Mrs. Haudenshild still on the phone with the man on the other end insisting to speak to them. "He stayed on the phone with me to keep me calm and for morale," Mrs. Haudenshild said. "He wouldn't hang up until he heard an EMT identify himself and tell him the situation was being handled." All in a day's work Nicholas is recovering at home as he suffered from cardiac arrest due to poisoning, Mrs. Haudenshild said. "He has bad knees, and has taken acetaminophen for years. It reached a toxic level in his system, and this was the outcome." "I owe my son's life to Adrian," she said, her voice wavering. "He was so awesome." But Mr. Sibayan doesn't consider himself a hero. "I didn't do anything particularly special," he said. "This is just the kind of thing we do here. The phone rings, and you handle whatever situation's on the other end." Comment on this story (comment may be published on Air Force Link) View the comments/letters page