"I don't have his name," passenger searches for doctor who saved him on flight to Boston
MASHPEE - Gary Shuman and his wife Beth enjoyed a grateful toast at their kitchen table in Mashpee Wednesday night -- amid one nagging question. "And what's bugging the daylights out of me," said Gary, "is that I don't have his name."
That mystery began on a Monday morning flight back from Toronto -- where Gary and his daughters had celebrated his 70th birthday.
But roughly halfway to Boston -- Gary went from lightheaded -- to deep trouble. "I had lost consciousness," he said. "I was sweating profusely, and I was not responding to anything."
His daughters screamed for help and some flight attendants scrambled over -- as did a certain Good Samaritan.
"A young guy who is a third-year resident at Mass General jumped up immediately," Gary said with a broad smile.
That "young guy" took Gary's vitals and guided him through the next several minutes of what might've been a seizure -- or even a minor stroke.
Gary says the young doc directed the flight crew to make sure paramedics were standing by when the plane arrived at Logan -- and never left his side.
Gary has interstitial lung disease -- but doesn't think this episode is connected. And while he was embarrassed about being the center of attention -- he marveled at the doc's command of the situation.
"He took control as if he's been doing this his entire life," said Gary. "He was so calm and kept everybody calm."
And now, the whole family is trying to put a name with the face.
"I'm thrilled he was on that plane," said Gary, "and I think he deserves a big "thank you!"
Gary has undergone all sorts of tests since the incident -- some during five hours in the Mass General ER and then more today at Beth Israel -- with no clarity yet on what happened.
But he knows one thing for sure -- when MGH identifies the doctor who was on that flight -- something Gary is hoping for by week's end -- a personal visit will become his priority.
