Medical Emergency On United Flight: My Wife, An ICU Nurse, Answered The Call

While I am not at all surprised, I am so proud of my wife Heidi after she stepped up to the call of duty when a medical emergency occurred onboard her United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Chicago on Tuesday afternoon.

When United Airlines Flight Attendants Asked For Emergency Medical Assistance, My Wife Stepped Up

Heidi was traveling to Chicago on UA2487 on April 8, 2025 and seated near the back of the plane. About an hour outside of Chicago, flight attendants made an urgent announcement asking if there were any medical professionals onboard.

There were three, a pediatrician, a nurse practitioner, and my wife Heidi, a registered nurse. A senior citizen seated in the bulkhead row of the economy class cabin suffered a heath event and needed urgent care.

I’ll avoid the details out of respect for the passenger’s privacy, but it was a potentially life-threatening event. Providentially, my wife is an ICU nurse.

She was prepared!

The three medical professionals worked well together on the floor of the galley in front of the first class cabin and were able to stabilize the patient.

They sat with the patient, who remained on the floor, until paramedics met the aircraft upon landing in Chicago O’Hare.

The entire plane clapped for my wife and her two colleagues, a scene I was so sorry to have missed.

I’m also so thankful that on a plane full of 200 people there were medical professionals who were willing to step up and provide 100% effort during a very tense period to save a life. It’s the highest calling of the medical field.

Heidi, I’m so proud of you! I’m proud of you for being a great nurse, wife, mother, and person…with people like you planning to be part of the medical field for decades to come, I am confident that we can build an even better healthcare system in this country.

As an aside, flight attendants offered her a choice of 7,500 miles or $150 for her assistance, which was really not necessary…my wife and the other two medical professionals were happy to assist. It’s doing what is right. Yesterday, United also reached out and left a message on her mobile phone thanking her for her stepping up to help.

Kudos to the three for stepping up. In a nation that is divided and a world that is broken, it is beautiful to see humans come together instantly and without hesitation to help someone in great need.

Good leads the way.