Hero of the Week: Mystery nurse saves Westford man’s life in Massachusetts

This week's hero is a nurse who saved a man's life and chose to remain anonymous. The nurse happened to be in the area when a 63-year-old man needed CPR and she provided it until paramedics arrived. Here's the story from Tewksbury, Massachusetts.

  ‘Nobody knows who she is or where she came from’: Mystery nurse saves Westford man’s life

63-year-old Tommy Florentino is now recovered, but wants to thank the person who saved his life.

January 18, 2023 Boston.com By Eli Curwin

Family members and loved ones of a Westford man are looking for the nurse that provided him life-saving CPR in front of a Walmart in Tewksbury Jan. 11 afternoon.

63-year-old Tommy Florentino and his brother Elmer Florentino had just left a Home Depot to go to a friend’s house when Tommy suddenly collapsed onto the car’s dashboard. A police officer and an unidentified nurse provided several minutes of CPR, likely saving Tommy Florentino’s life.

“She’s an angel on our shoulders,” Elmer Florentino told NBC10 Boston. “She came out of nowhere to help.”

The two brothers were on their way to see their longtime friends Mark and Lisa Paradis when Tommy slumped onto the car’s dashboard and his eyes rolled back in his head while they were waiting for a red light. Elmer slapped him with the back of his hand, but his brother remained unresponsive.

Elmer then immediately called 9-1-1 as he pulled into a nearby Walmart, where a police cruiser arrived on the scene while Elmer was on the phone with emergency dispatchers.

“Someone up in heaven was watching out for him,” Lisa Paradis told Boston.com. “Everything just connected.”

As the officer provided CPR, an unknown woman, who identified herself as a registered nurse, offered to provide support. The nurse took over, providing the necessary support to the seizing Tommy Florentino before paramedics arrived.

“Nobody knows who she is or where she came from,” Lisa Paradis said. “She left in the commotion of them getting in the ambulance because the EMT’s were still doing CPR on him … and they just didn’t get her name.”

Tommy regained consciousness after arriving in the hospital, but does not remember what happened in between leaving Home Depot and waking up.

The 63-year-old was released from the hospital Wednesday night, and remains under doctor’s supervision for additional testing. Elmer Florentino says his brother is “doing great,” but with no history of seizures, it is unclear what caused the emergency.