CANTON, Ohio — Two Canton police officers will soon be recognized as heroes by their department.
In a news release, Canton Police Chief John Gabbard said officers Matthew Machamer and Austin Lute would receive the Lifesaving Award for their "outstanding performance in regards to a recent medical emergency."
That emergency happened in the afternoon of October 5. The two officers were called to the 400 block of Tuscarawas Street West for an unresponsive woman in a car. The found a woman laying on the front passenger seat, not breathing, the release said.
That woman was Annette "Nettie" Conklin, who told 3News on Tuesday that while she has had seizures in the past, she's never experienced anything like this.
"I remember my husband talking and then the next thing I remember, I woke up in the hospital bed in ICU," Conklin said.
Conklin had been in the passenger seat while her husband was driving downtown when she went into cardiopulmonary arrest. She said her husband looked over at her to find she was "seizing" and "foaming at the mouth."
That's when he pulled the car over and called 911, beginning CPR on Conklin. Luckily, the police officers were not far behind, and arrived on scene in seconds to continue administering CPR.
"Officers immediately rendered aid until the woman regained consciousness," the department said.
A video of the incident release by Canton police shows the two officers performing CPR until she started breathing again. A family member can be heard in the background yelling "Come on, breathe honey, breathe!"
"God put them there for me, they're like my angels, you know, they saved me," Conklin said. "I'm very thankful they were so close."
Conklin spent about a week and a half in the hospital, where she underwent a series of tests in an effort to get to the bottom of what caused her medical emergency. She currently has Bell's palsy, and is still going to follow up appointments.
Conklin hasn't seen the officers since that day, but is excited to have the opportunity to thank them in person. She's even prepared thank you bags for them.
"I got them a little gift, and I also got them plenty of Life Savers, because I'm so thankful for them saving my life," she said, laughing and holding up a bag of Life Savers candies.
Firefighters and paramedics from the Canton Fire Department were also on scene that day, and transported Conklin to the hospital.
"We only see a small portion of their care to when we get on scene to the hospital, but we're really happy with the outcome," said Andrew Lidderdale, a firefighter and paramedic who responded on Oct. 5.
"[I'm] Grateful for P.D. to be on scene and their quick actions so that we could continue care," said firefighter and paramedic Ciara O'Connor.
Division Chief Steve Henderson with the Canton Fire Department said he is proud of the emergency responders for their actions that day.
“A lot of times, cardiac events, they don’t come back from," he said. "So this is a good story. It’s not something the police department does everyday, so we commend them for what they did."
Both officers will be recognized with the Lifesaver Award at the department's next award ceremony, which will likely happen in the next few months.
A Lifesaver Award is given out for "an action that significantly contributed to the saving of a human life," according to Canton police.
3News reached out to Canton police in the hopes of speaking with those officers, but were told they were not available.
Editor's Note: The following video is from a previous, unrelated story.
MORE HEADLINES:
- Berea woman who nearly died of COVID gets wish granted to meet nurses who saved her life
- 11-year-old Lorain boy helps save beloved neighbor's life
- Canton man who nearly died from COVID gives back to health heroes who saved him
- 'What if I had waited?' University Hospitals nurse shares how early breast cancer detection saved her life
- 'I’ll never forget that man': Woman saved by retired Columbus firefighter killed in plane crash speaks