A south suburban Tinley Park woman and her unborn baby were saved on Christmas Eve when she suffered a medical emergency and a stranger came to her rescue.
it was one of the scariest days of Stacey Doranski’s life.
Then 36 weeks pregnant, Doranski suffered a brain aneurysm while vacuuming at a gas station at 194th Street and Harlem Avenue.
“The next thing I remember in the back of an ambulance and they were asking if I have seizures and all I remember saying is, ‘I’m pregnant, I’m pregnant,'” she recalled.
For four months, she’s been searching for a hero 911 caller who helped saved her and her baby’s lives.
“The person who found me on the ground, I would just like to talk to them, and I would like to thank them for not only saving my life but my daughters life,” she said.
NBC Chicago’s Natalie Martinez found her hero – and brought the two together virtually on Tuesday night.
“I can’t even describe what it means that you made that phone call,” Doranski said. “You are the reason that I’m still here. You’re the reason my daughter is still here. Thank you so much.”
“No problem ma’am,” Skyler Smith said. “I was just doing my job.”
Smith is none other than the store manager who himself is out on disability leave after an injury in February.
“Once I seen she had a little foam from the mouth, I immediately called the police,” Smith said.
Doranski is also the mother of a 4-year-old son and now a 4-month-old daughter, Piper, thanks in large part to Smith.
“Congratulations on the baby, ma’am,” Smith said.
“Thank you so much,” Doranski replied.
