Sam Sapenaro
Source of Photo: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/nurse-royals-entertainment-crew-revives-girl (Provided by Kansas City Royals)
On 23 May 2013, as the Kansas City Royals played the Los Angeles Angels, a 14-year-old girl was shown dancing in the upper deck on Kauffman Stadium’s video board. Just after the camera turned away from her, she collapsed. Fortunately, a member of the Royals K-Crew, a group of team employees who entertain fans, also works as a pediatric nurse at Children’s Mercy Hospital. Sam Sapenaro, a 26-year-old woman, responded immediately. The 14-year-old had no pulse. Ms. Sapenaro, assisted by a man who was also a nurse, began performing CPR on the girl. They resuscitated the girl, but her pulse faded again and stadium medical personnel had to resuscitate her a second time. Ms. Sapenaro said, “We were on her in the first 15-20 seconds of her going down. Timing is everything when something like this happens.” Paramedics took the girl to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. Ms. Sapenaro returned to work on the K-Crew, and many fans thanked her for assisting the girl. Ms. Sapenaro said, “It’s hard for me to accept that compliment just because I am a nurse and I feel that’s what I’m supposed to do. The outpouring of love has been incredible from the Royals organization and the Royals fans.” Ms. Sapenaro has worked as a member of the K-Crew for four years. Toby Cook, the Royals’ Vice President for Community Affairs, said, “To say that it was fortunate that this young woman from the K-Crew was a registered nurse is an understatement. She was there; she knew what to do. It was a heroic effort on her part to be able to respond that way and have her medical training kick in, going from entertaining fans one second to providing potential life-saving care to somebody the next.” He added, “She went from K-Crew to nurse mode and stayed that way right up until the point that we transported the patient.” Ms. Sapenaro said, “It’s definitely a different situation when you’re out in the field not expecting it, when you’re in a different job role, and then you have to switch back into nurse mode.”
For Further Information: Blair Kerkhoff, “‘Heroic effort’ from nurse revives girl at Kauffman Stadium.” The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Missouri). 24 May 2013
http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/24/4254405/heroic-effort-from-nurse-saves.html
For Further Information: Eric Olson, “NURSE ON ROYALS’ ENTERTAINMENT CREW REVIVES GIRL.” The Big Story. Associated Press. 24 May 2013
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/nurse-royals-entertainment-crew-revives-girl
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