One bride leapt into action right after her wedding ceremony, performing CPR on an unresponsive woman while still in her wedding gown.
“We were walking across the street to check into the hotel. We had our after party there,” Julie Stroyne Nixon, of Pittsburgh, told ABC News of the frantic moment on June 11. “Somebody screamed, ‘Does anyone know CPR? Is anyone a doctor?'”
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.Courtesy of Julie Stroyne Nixon
Courtesy of Julie Stroyne Nixon
A woman was lying on a bench, barely breathing, outside the hotel where all of their guests were staying.
“My nursing instincts just took over,” said Nixon, 24. “To be honest I don’t remember running. I just threw my purse and my flowers and just went into action.”
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The bride, a trauma nurse at UPMC-Presbyterian hospital, was fortunately able to resuscitate the woman before the ambulance showed up.
“Somebody told me she didn’t have a pulse so I jumped into action and started doing compressions,” the newlywed recalled. “It got stronger as I kept feeling for it which was a good sign. Her respirations were very shallow but I think the action of me giving compressions kind of woke her up.”
The bride was happy to be able to help the woman, although wasn’t updated on her name or medical status after the paramedics took over.
“All I have to say is, thank goodness I had one champagne with the toast and that’s it,” said Nixon. “I didn’t drink at all. Thank goodness I was able to help.”
The bride and groom, avid tennis players, are heading to Wimbledon for their honeymoon next week before jet-setting to Greece.