Incredible moment off-duty nurse saves baby girl who stopped breathing on Spirit flight to Orlando

Heartwarming footage shows a three-month-old baby girl smiling after she was revived by an off-duty nurse when the infant stopped breathing on a plane.  

Tamara Panzino was a passenger on Spirit Airlines Flight 1691 on Thursday night from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Orlando, Florida, when a three-month-old infant called Anjelé suddenly became unresponsive about 30 minutes after takeoff, Fox35 reported. 

Panzino said she quickly reacted to the medical emergency on the aircraft by massaging the baby’s chest and legs. Soon after, the baby was heard breathing again, much to the relief of her terrified parents. 

Fox35 meteorologist Ian Cassette was onboard the plane and recorded the crowd’s reaction after the incident was over, as passengers applauded the nurse. 

‘On my flight back from Pittsburgh to Orlando, a baby stopped breathing three rows ahead of me,’ Casette shared in a Twitter thread along with footage of cheers and praise in reaction to Panzino’s efforts. ‘Thankfully a nurse (Tamara Panzino) was able to get the baby to breathe again.’ 

Three-month-old infant called Anjelé suddenly stopped breathing on a Spirit Airlines flight from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Orlando, Florida, on Thursday, 30 minutes after takeoff before being revived by a 20-year nurse

Tamara Panzino, a veteran nurse, stepped up and massaged the baby girl’s legs and chest to revive her

Cassette also shared a clip of Panzino with Anjelé happily smiling in her arms in front of flight attendants and voyagers. 

It remains unclear what caused the newborn’s respiratory issues. The baby girl’s parents, who have not been named, said that they had never previously experienced anything similar to what happened on Thursday. 

Panzino, a 20-year veteran nurse, added after the medical incident that it made her ‘feel really good’ to help and contribute to saving the child’s life.

‘When you have to step forward and do what’s right, you do it. It was just a happy story, and it made me feel really good,’ she told Fox35. 

Fox35 meteorologist Ian Cassette was onboard Spirit Airlines flight 1691 and provided updates from the air when the medical emergency happened two days ago

‘They praised the positive energy of the plane and the heroic actions of Tamara for saving her,’ Cassette wrote in a tweet, referring to the gratitude shown by  Anjelé’s parents towards Panzino. 

The flight did not have to stop for an emergency landing and even arrived in Orlando seven minutes ahead of schedule, according to FlightRadar 24. 

In a statement, Spirit Airlines communicated: ‘We’re currently gathering information to learn more. We thank our crew and guest for the quick response.’

‘Our Flight Attendants are trained to respond to medical emergencies onboard and utilize several resources, including communicating with our designated on-call medical professionals on the ground, using onboard medical kits, and receiving assistance from credentialed medical professionals traveling on the flight.’