Do You Know This Respiratory Therapist?

December 10, 2013

The hunt is on for a respiratory therapist who saved the life of a man traveling through Orlando Airport on Dec. 3, 2012.

The daughter of David McKenney started the search on a Facebook page several weeks ago. He was unaware of her efforts until the one-year anniversary of the incident last week. She had hoped to identify the mystery “angel” RT as a Christmas present to her father.

“David McKenney”

McKenney, a regional vice president for a medical malpractice insurance company, was headed from his home in Florida to a board meeting of his company. He learned that the Good Samaritan was a respiratory therapist from the EMT report, which indicated the rescuer started CPR and defibrillator before the EMTs arrived. He identified himself as a respiratory therapist to the EMTs but did not stay to give his name.

“From closer reading of the EMT report, the Good Samaritan either had to have been on the same Southwest flight or a similar such connecting flight,” said McKenney. “There would be no other reason for him to have been in that specific location other than him being a fellow passenger or, like me, simply trying to catch a connecting Southwest flight.” This all occurred in the Orlando terminal on a Southwest flight from Ft. Lauderdale a little before 10:00 a.m. on Dec. 3, 2012.

The respiratory therapist was described as a “big guy,” reportedly over 6’4” and more than 260 pounds.

Shannon Sorrels of Indiana is McKenney’s daughter and she and her sister, Alicia, started the quest by building the Facebook page. “We could not be more grateful for what this hero did for my dad and our family.”

“The mystery of this Respiratory Therapist’s identity is, indeed, baffling. I owe him so much, yet I cannot extend even the most meager of a ‘thank you,’” said McKenney.

So, AARC members: do you know this respiratory therapist?

“I owe him my life. Thus, anything your readers could do to help us identify this ‘angel,’ our whole family would be extremely grateful.”

You can contact David and his daughters Shannon and Alicia through their Facebook page.