Exactly three years after a teenager driving high nearly maimed Lisa and Pat Lowe, the couple got to thank the man who saved them.
“We really just wanted the chance to say thank you,” Lisa said, just before she hugged her hero: paramedic Nick Henderson.
Henderson responded to the deadly scene in Medford on April 29, 2018, where a 17-year-old driving under the influence had wildly veered off the road, killing one person and seriously injuring a young couple out walking their dog.
That couple was the Lowes, and Henderson was one of the first Armstrong Ambulance paramedics to arrive. The woman killed was Judith Moses, 64, of Brookline.
The accident mangled Lisa’s legs, and she and her husband credit Henderson and his fellow paramedics’ swift judgment.
“They were very quick, very fast, and they just looked at her right away and made a quick decision, which obviously was a very good decision,” Pat said.
Henderson rushed Lisa to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she spent a month recovering from surgeries on both her legs. That was followed by a nearly three-month stint at Spaulding Rehabilitation in Charlestown.
Exactly one year after the accident, Pat proposed to Lisa, and they were married in a small, COVID-friendly ceremony in September 2020. Lisa was able to not only walk down the aisle but also dance with her groom. They invited Henderson to watch over Zoom, but they still hadn’t gotten the chance to meet him in person or formally thank him.
All three were reunited Thursday in Arlington at Armstrong Ambulance, where Henderson has risen in the ranks over the last several years. He told the Herald he was bowled over by how strong Lisa has been in her recovery from the devastating accident.
“It’s amazing, especially considering the injuries Lisa had. To, just two years later or so, to have that kind of recovery and be dancing at her wedding? To be honest, I was expecting a cane or a wheelchair. That goes to Mass General and the rehab services,” he said.
“But there’s only so much they can do without her pushing herself, too,” he added.
The teen driver, Raza Khan of Medford, was charged with motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence. He pleaded guilty, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. Lisa said she’s aware of his sentencing, but she doesn’t dwell on that day.
She and Pat bought a house in Littleton, she’s returned to work, and they’re raising two enormous dogs. She said she’s focused on the future, and right now, her biggest goal is to be able to run again — something she hasn’t been able to do since the accident.
“We say that I’m not running — yet,” she added.
ARLINGTON, MA. APRIL 29, 2021: Lisa and Patrick Lowe, wait to meet with Armstrong paramedic Nick Anderson at the Armstrong building, in Arlington, Massachusetts, for the first time since he treated them following a serious accident in 2018 in Medford.. (Staff photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
ARLINGTON, MA. APRIL 29, 2021: Armstrong paramedic Nick Anderson brings flowers as he meets with couple, Lisa and Patrick Lowe, at the Armstrong building, in Arlington, Massachusetts, for the first time since treating them following a serious accident in 2018 in Medford.. (Staff photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
ARLINGTON, MA. APRIL 29, 2021: Armstrong paramedic Nick Anderson meets with couple, Lisa and Patrick Lowe, at the Armstrong building, in Arlington, Massachusetts, for the first time since treating them following a serious accident in 2018 in Medford.. (Staff photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
ARLINGTON, MA. APRIL 29, 2021: Lisa and Patrick Lowe, wait to meet with Armstrong paramedic Nick Anderson at the Armstrong building, in Arlington, Massachusetts, for the first time since treating them following a serious accident in 2018 in Medford.. (Staff photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
ARLINGTON, MA. APRIL 29, 2021: Armstrong paramedic Nick Anderson meets with couple, Lisa and Patrick Lowe, at the Armstrong building, in Arlington, Massachusetts, for the first time since treating them following a serious accident in 2018 in Medford.. (Staff photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
ARLINGTON, MA. APRIL 29, 2021: Armstrong paramedic Nick Anderson meets with couple, Lisa and Patrick Lowe, at the Armstrong building, in Arlington, Massachusetts, for the first time since treating them following a serious accident in 2018 in Medford.. (Staff photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
ARLINGTON, MA. APRIL 29, 2021: Armstrong paramedic Nick Anderson meets with couple, Lisa and Patrick Lowe, at the Armstrong building, in Arlington, Massachusetts, for the first time since treating them following a serious accident in 2018 in Medford.. (Staff photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
ARLINGTON, MA. APRIL 29, 2021: Armstrong paramedic Nick Anderson meets with couple, Lisa and Patrick Lowe, at the Armstrong building, in Arlington, Massachusetts, for the first time since treating them following a serious accident in 2018 in Medford.. (Staff photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
ARLINGTON, MA. APRIL 29, 2021: Armstrong paramedic Nick Anderson meets with couple, Lisa and Patrick Lowe, at the Armstrong building, in Arlington, Massachusetts, for the first time since treating them following a serious accident in 2018 in Medford.. (Staff photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
ARLINGTON, MA. APRIL 29, 2021: Lisa and Patrick Lowe, wait to meet with Armstrong paramedic Nick Anderson at the Armstrong building, in Arlington, Massachusetts, for the first time since he treated them following a serious accident in 2018 in Medford.. (Staff photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
ARLINGTON, MA. APRIL 29, 2021: Lisa and Patrick Lowe, wait to meet with Armstrong paramedic Nick Anderson at the Armstrong building, in Arlington, Massachusetts, for the first time since he treated them following a serious accident in 2018 in Medford.. (Staff photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
