MP honoured for saving man who collapsed during flight
‘I knew his family,’ says surprised hero
When a man on a late-night flight collapsed and lay lifeless on the floor, it was an elected member of Parliament who saved his life.
Todd Doherty was recognized this week for his swift action.
The Conservative MP was flying from Vancouver to Prince George in June last year when, shortly after takeoff, he heard a loud thud.
A friend who was sitting next to Doherty turned to him, wide-eyed.
“Do you know first aid?” the friend asked.
Doherty ran to the front of the plane, where a man in the front row had collapsed.
“I basically flew into action. It was like a reflex, I guess,” he said on Thursday.
Finding no pulse, Doherty began giving the man chest compressions. A few minutes later, colour began to return to the man’s cheeks and he began to breathe. It was then the MP realized he knew the man he was trying to save.
“I knew his family, I knew his wife. And that’s when you really kind of start thinking about things.”
The pilot turned the plane around and headed back to Vancouver. All the while, Doherty held the man’s hand to ensure his pulse remained strong.
When they landed, the man was immediately transported to hospital. Doherty, meanwhile, re-boarded his plane to Prince George.
“That was the hardest thing to do, to leave this man who I knew was really sick and I knew his family,” he said. “I knew he was going to be alone, so it was really hard.”
The man has since made a full recovery.
On Wednesday, Doherty was awarded the St. John Ambulance life-saving award.
He played down the award, however, saying he only did what first responders do every day.
“The greatest reward for me was that he was actually going to be OK and that he was going to be able to be with his family.”