Lifesaving training leads to an ‘Angel’ in the sky

Forty minutes into her May 2023 United Airlines flight home from Cancun, Mexico, Regina Angel heard the flight crew call for a doctor to assist a passenger in medical distress. When no one stepped forward, Regina did. She was in the right place, with the right training.

“I have this certification from JELD-WEN. I don’t know if you can use it,” Regina recalls telling the crew.

In 2022, Regina was trained as a first responder by the American Red Cross at JELD-WEN’s Rantoul, Illinois manufacturing plant. As a certified first responder at Rantoul, she has assisted co-workers with dangerously low and high blood pressure, cuts, splinters, bruises, sprains, strains, seizures and unresponsiveness. Armed with her training, Regina did not hesitate to offer her help to the passenger in crisis.

“I was kind of nervous and afraid,” she says. 

Regina inquired if the man had diabetes or high blood pressure. When he confirmed he had high blood pressure, she knew she needed to keep him alert and apply ice to key points on his body – thanks to her training. 

 

With no ice packs on board, Regina fashioned ice packs from plastic bags and applied them to his neck, top of head and under his arms. The passenger told her he had forgotten to take his high blood pressure medication. 

When he told her he hadn’t eaten anything in 12 hours, she made sure he got something to eat and drink. Then, Regina stayed with him for the remaining two hours of the flight, monitoring his recovery.

 

When the crisis had passed, he told Regina, “Thanks for saving my life” and offered to write her a check. Her response? “I said, ‘No, no, no.’ Helping people, you do not think to get anything back; you just help.”

Regina gave credit to the classes she took while working at JELD-WEN for being able to assist the passenger. During two classes of first responder training, she learned CPR, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and how to use the AED defibrillator for those with cardiac emergencies.

“About 25 other associates took the training with me, learning to deal with sprains, splinters, and how to spot signs of high blood pressure, heat stroke and shock,” said Regina.

Back home in Rantoul, her manager heard how Angel had bravely embraced one of the company’s five core values — Invest in People - which focuses on providing opportunities for growth that benefit our employees and positively impact their families and communities.

“I wasn’t surprised that she was willing to help someone in need,” said Plant Manager Justin Thompson. “That’s Regina. She’s always positive and always glad to be here.”