Geralynn Legel
One September afternoon, Geralynn Legel of rural Waverly, became unresponsive due to extremely low blood sugar. Geralynn is a diabetic who is familiar with how to control her blood sugar levels; however, this time was different. Her husband, Ray, called 911. Within minutes, Plainfield First Responders arrived and Waverly Health Center (WHC) emergency medical services were right behind.
Geralynn woke up to a living room full of people she did not recognize. WHC paramedic Jeff Mason was putting an IV in when Geralynn asked who everyone was.
“I knew I was at home. I recognized my living room and could see my husband across the room,” said Geralynn. “I just did not know who everyone else was or why they were in my house.”
Jeff and his co-worker, Devontez Roberts, emergency medical technician, transported Geralynn to WHC. It was discovered that Geralynn’s blood sugar was severely low – 20 mg/DL – which can cause a seizure, stroke or loss of consciousness like Geralynn experienced.
“I have never seen blood sugar that low in my career,” said Devontez. Geralynn was monitored by Dr. John Zehr in the Waverly Health Center emergency room for about five hours to ensure her blood sugar had stabilized.
“Once we arrived at WHC, everything was like a well-oiled machine. I was assisted by individuals who knew and cared about my wellbeing,” said Geralynn. After her experience, Geralynn received a new insulin pump and sensor and took a four hour class to learn how to use it, with hopes of this never happening again.
Geralynn is appreciative of the local emergency services available to her and her community. “Don’t take the services we have available to us for granted. We are a lucky community to have them, and I want to give credit where credit is due,” she said.
