[Trigger Warning]
On a seemingly ordinary afternoon, an 81-year-old woman’s visit to a Cornwall, Ontario, A&W took a terrifying turn when she was stung by a wasp. According to A&W employee Aimee Boyer, a co-worker came to her and said, “you need to call 9-1-1. Somebody has been stung by a wasp.” The woman’s throat and tongue began to swell, and she was “starting to go colourless.” A&W employee Patricia Harrison, who recognized the woman as a regular, told CTV News Ottawa that the woman and her friend “love to eat here and it’s like their little adventure out.” Unfortunately, this adventure quickly became a nightmare.
Recognizing the severity of the situation and the woman’s lack of an epinephrine device, A&W staff members Harrison and Boyer sprang into action. “We were just trying to act as fast as we possibly could,” Harrison said. Drawing on her personal experience with a family member’s allergies, Harrison quickly called the Walmart pharmacy next door while remaining on the line with emergency operators. Pharmacy staff authorized an EpiPen to be sent over, and as Harrison describes, “They literally dropped what they were doing and came running across the parking lot.” The moment the pharmacist arrived, holding the EpiPen “up over his head,” was an immediate relief, as Harrison recalled thinking, “thank gosh, you’re going to be okay.”
With the EpiPen in hand, Boyer was guided by paramedics over the phone. A customer familiar with how to use the device stepped forward to administer the injection. EpiPen is the brand name of an auto-injector that delivers a dose of epinephrine, a life-saving drug used to stop and reverse severe allergic reactions, like the one the woman was having. Boyer said that “within seconds of having the EpiPen, things started to come back to normal, the swelling went down, she could breathe again.”
The quick actions of the A&W employees were praised by Cornwall’s paramedic service, which stated their actions were “crucial” and “directly contributed to mitigating what otherwise could have been a deadly reaction.” The incident also highlighted the importance of having EpiPens readily available in public places. Debbie Bruce, director of the Canadian Anaphylaxis Initiative, noted, “Seventy per cent of adults do not carry their EpiPen and that’s terrifying because they just think they can avoid the trigger but things happen.”
Bruce further emphasized the need for widespread EpiPen accessibility, likening it to the availability of AED (automated external defibrillator) units in public spaces. She told CTV News, “EpiPens and epinephrine are the only thing that will rescue them.” Bruce, who herself carries an EpiPen, explained that in Ontario, a prescription is not required. While a standard EpiPen can cost up to $150, most insurance providers cover the cost, making it a critical, and often affordable, tool.
Reflecting on the event, both A&W employees emphasized that it was a collective effort. “It was a team effort combined, 100 percent,” an emotional Harrison said. She also noted how glad she was to have had her co-worker Boyer by her side. After the crisis had passed and the woman was taken to the hospital by paramedics, the two employees were told she was recovering well and in good health.
Boyer recounted how the stress of the event finally hit her once the ordeal was over. “I could breathe again. I cried, I definitely cried,” she shared. Despite the emotional toll, both employees remained humble about their actions. “We just did what we had to do to get her the help that she needed as fast as we could,” Boyer said, summarizing their heroic response that helped save a customer’s life.
Here is a CTV news report detailing the events:
