Three civilians who saved the life of the head of the Marine Corps were honored for their heroics on Thursday.
Marine Commandant Gen. Eric Smith honored Timothy and Joyce LaLonde, two siblings aged 33 and 28, and Joyce’s husband, Nathaniel Birnbaum, 28, during a ceremony at the Home of the Commandants in which they were awarded the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award.
Smith suffered a medical emergency on Oct. 29 toward the end of his run while he was only about a block from the barracks where his family resides. Timothy LaLonde, who is a certified CPR instructor, administered CPR to the commandant for several minutes while his sister sought to get emergency medical personnel dispatched to the scene.
During Thursday’s ceremony, Smith said, “You have really given me a second chance,” according to the Washington Post, as he pinned the medal, with its blue and yellow ribbon, to their chests, adding, “I’m grateful to you.”
“If Mr. LaLonde had not been a CPR-certified instructor,” the general continued, “I would not be standing here today.”
Doctors quickly realized he had suffered from aortic stenosis, a condition in which the aortic valve narrows, preventing the normal flow of blood away from the heart.
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“If you were to have this scenario play out 1,000 times, maybe five people … would survive it like he did,” Smith’s cardiac surgeon, Thomas MacGillivray, told the outlet. He added that it was “unusual” for someone who received CPR for so long to be back to normal within a matter of months.
The Marines will hold an “Evening Parade” event at the barracks on Friday featuring marching and music. Lt. Holly O’Byrne, a paramedic and supervisor who accompanied the general in the ambulance; Ryan Crowell, a former Washington paramedic and firefighter who responded that day; MacGillivray; and Timothy LaLonde will be the guests of honor.
