Registered nurse Maureen Gallagher is a hero.
Gallagher, the Director of Health and Wellness for Artis Senior Living, a Memory Care Community in Princeton Junction, recently came through to save the life of a young West Windsor resident.
“The stars were aligned that day” said Gallagher, who felt that she “was truly in the right place at the right time.”
On Nov. 6, a man came running into the building at the Artis Senior Living and announced that a car had run off the road and crashed into the trees that are located at the edge the property.
Without a moment’s hesitation, while another Artis Senior Living employee called 911, Gallagher rushed out, pulled the 24-year-old man out of the car and found him unresponsive.
She immediately began performing CPR. When the paramedics arrived, the young man had a pulse and they continued treating him at the scene until he stabilized enough for them to transport him to Penn Medical at Princeton Hospital.
The young man survived the crash.
Over a month later, the young man, who asked that his identity not be shared, accompanied by his family, paid a special visit to Gallagher at Artis Senior Living.
The young man expressed his thanks, as did his family, to the woman who came to the rescue and helped save a life.
Through their tears, the family presented her with a beautiful painting of flowers. The artist of the painting was the young man’s mother.
The family shared that they had thought first of giving her flowers but wanted to present Gallagher ones that wouldn’t die. Gallagher was also given a guardian angel pin as a token of thanks to the woman who truly earned the title.