St. Charles County, MO, Medic Dies after On-Duty Medical Issue
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
(TNS)
A veteran of the St. Charles County Ambulance District has died weeks after suffering chest pain in the line of duty, the district announced Thursday.
Lt. Sarah McCarthy, a 23-year veteran of the district, underwent emergency surgery on Nov. 21 after she felt chest pain while on duty at an ambulance district station in St. Peters.
She suffered a "grave setback" in her recovery on Dec. 4, and she died on Dec. 9. McCarthy was an organ donor, according to the release.
After joining the St. Charles County Ambulance District in 2002 and "providing expert patient care to thousands of individuals," McCarthy was promoted to lieutenant in 2016. In that role, she offered training and leadership to scores of paramedics, the release reads.
McCarthy was also part of the ambulance district's honor guard as well as the STARS team, "a dedicated team of paramedics who work closely with special needs pediatric patients and their family members."
She earned the district's award of excellence for her work.
“To briefly encapsulate Sarah’s contributions to the district and our community is impossible — she was a fierce advocate willing to undertake any action necessary for an individual in need,” ambulance district Chief Skip Stephens said in a release. “Her dedication to patients – particularly our STARS families — was unwavering, and an example that we can all hope to strive for.”
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