Stephanie Hodgkins was walking across a parking lot to get to work last Friday.
The Red Deer resident stepped on a patch of ice, hit the ground and knew immediately something was wrong. As Hodgkins was on the ground, a woman walked over to see if everything was OK.
“I told her what happened. She offered me a coat and offered to call me an ambulance, which she did,” Hodgkins told The Advocate this week.
“She helped get me off the road while we were waiting for an ambulance. Then she told me she was a nurse and I thought, ‘That’s rather fortuitous.’
“I didn’t know how I was going to get up for one thing. I had very little balance, my arm was in a lot of pain and I was cold. I probably didn’t admit it then, but I was terrified. She just stopped, reassured me and waited with me until the ambulance came. She even helped me into the ambulance.”
Hodgkins couldn’t recall if the nurse mentioned her name.
“With everything that was going on, with the pain I was feeling, my head’s a little fuzzy. I can’t remember if she told me her name or not,” said Hodgkins.
Since the incident, Hodgkins has posted about it on social media, hoping to connect with the nurse.
“I haven’t found her yet,” Hodgkins said.
“I don’t really have a good description of what she looked like because it’s still foggy to me. I just want to say thank you to her.”
The whole incident took place within a short distance from Hodgkins’ workplace.
“Still in shock, I messaged my manager that I couldn’t make it in because there was an accident and I was waiting for EMS to arrive. Meanwhile, I’m literally staring at (my workplace) 200 yards away.”
Hodgkins ended up with a broken humerus after the fall. The Red Deerian had surgery on Monday and is currently in an arm sling – Hodgkins anticipates being put in a cast within a couple of weeks.
“From what I’ve been told, the recovery could be between six to eight weeks,” said Hodgkins.
“It’s been a challenge. Learning to do certain things one-handed isn’t fun. Fortunately, it was my non-dominant hand. That’s the big blessing.”
Hodgkins said the nurses and doctors at the hospital deserve a “thank you” as well.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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