Baltimore Ravens star tight end Mark Andrews became a hero off the field on Thursday morning, when he helped save the life of an incapacitated passenger.
Andrew Springs was napping on his flight from Baltimore to Phoenix, when he was roused by a tense medical emergency.
He realized a woman in the row in front of him was in distress, when a doctor and a nurse on the flight rushed passed him to attend to the passenger.
Springs told CNN the situation was so emergent, that he overheard the flight crew discussing making an emergency landing.
A woman on my @southwest flight from Baltimore to Phoenix this morning had a mid-flight medical emergency. The doctor and nurse attending to her couldn’t find a strong pulse, her blood pressure was extremely low, and required oxygen to breathe. It was genuinely scary. (1/3)
— Andrew Springs (@NaturalSprings) February 1, 2024
“It was not like one of those situations where there’s a disturbance on the plane, and everyone goes back to their iPad,” he remarked.
“It was tense to the point where Southwest Airlines attendants were really working to keep everybody calm.”
Even with the assistance of trained medical professionals, the situation didn’t look good.
“The doctor and nurse attending to her couldn’t find a strong pulse, her blood pressure was extremely low, and required oxygen to breathe,” he tweeted. “It was genuinely scary.”
That’s when a man in his row, made a life saving suggestion to the medical professionals.
“A man in the aisle seat popped up, ‘Could it be her blood sugar? I have a diabetic testing kit,'” Springs detailed.
NFL player Mark Andrews saved a women’s life today on a plane, the women had an emergency and they couldn’t find a strong pulse
Andrew’s, who is diabetic said “Could it be her blood sugar? I have a diabetic testing kit.”
They were able to stabilize the women before paramedics… pic.twitter.com/0bB6e6w6nz
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) February 1, 2024
“It was Ravens [tight end] Mark Andrews,” he revealed.
The NFL player instructed the doctor and nurse how to use the testing kit and they were eventually able to stabilize the woman’s heart rate.
Andrews has been a Type 1 diabetic since he was diagnosed at nine-years-old.
He relies on an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring to keep his blood sugar stable.
While on the field, he manually checks his blood sugar up to thirty times during games and sticks to Gatorade Zero to stay hydrated.
“The fact that he spoke up and was willing to do the right thing to help a stranger shows his character,” Springs commented about Andrews.
“It was cool to see somebody like that exhibit quiet leadership and strength in a way that says – ‘it’s really not about me, it’s, how can I help this person?’”
Springs said that paramedics met the flight when it landed, and Andrews got off the plane “quietly” and without any “fanfare.”
“As he has done his whole career, he stepped up in a huge moment when people needed him most,” the Southwest passenger gushed about the Ravens’ star.
Andrews released a statement about the situation and completely downplayed his role in saving the woman’s life.
Statement from TE @Mandrews_81. pic.twitter.com/fkWsUzIUBB
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) February 1, 2024
“In addition to the fast-acting flight attendants, the real heroes are the nurse and doctor who also happened to be on the plane,” the NFL tight end said on Thursday.
“Thankfully they were able to provide the woman the quick assistance she needed,” he added.
Springs said that seeing the entire ordeal unfold in real-time was remarkable.
“Watching complete strangers spring into action to help save someone’s life is truly amazing,” he commented.
Though he pointed out that Andrews, who was out for the final six games of the regular season, but returned to help his team battle against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game, definitely played his part.
“Sometimes, unsung heroes deserve to be recognized,” Spring concluded.