By Cat Valles, Vitals contributor

Nurse Timika Dodson was catching up on some sleep during a recent flight when she was woken by the sound of someone asking whether there were medical personnel on board.

“I heard the flight attendant yelling for help and then I saw a passenger looking pale and unresponsive,” Dodson said, noting the passenger was having a seizure and was already being attended to by her significant other, who had started an IV.

Dodson, who is a cardiac nurse at Sutter’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, and a nurse practitioner who also happened to be on the flight, jumped in to assist.

After hanging the IV fluids, Dodson took notes for the flight attendant who was communicating with a physician. Then Dodson gave supplies and medication from the airplane’s medical kit.

The story has a happy ending.

“Our care helped the passenger,” said Dodson. “She became responsive and was able to walk off the airplane with the medic team when the plane landed.”

And fortunately for everyone else on the plane, Dodson’s quick action also helped prevent the airplane from being diverted to another airport.

“Many passengers, the nurse practitioner, the passenger’s significant other and the flight attendant thanked me. One passenger prayed for me when she thanked me, and the lead flight attendant gave me a big hug when I deplaned,” said Dodson.

After her midflight heroism, Dodson received an email from the airline which reads: “Occasionally, one of our Customers is called upon to provide medical assistance that is coordinated with the skilled efforts of our Flight Crew in the event of an inflight medical situation. It seems that you did just that, and we are grateful for the medical assistance you rendered.”