Ravens star Mark Andrews is being hailed as a hero after stepping in to help a woman in a medical emergency.
A post on X went viral on Thursday afternoon, detailing a mid-flight emergency that saw the three-time Pro Bowler step in to lend a helping hand in stabilizing a passenger’s heart rate after medical personnel struggled to find a strong pulse.
“A woman on my @southwest flight from Baltimore to Phoenix this morning had a mid-flight medical emergency,” user Andrew Springs wrote. “The doctor and nurse attending to her couldn’t find a strong pulse, her blood pressure was extremely low, and required oxygen to breathe. It was genuinely scary.
“A man in the aisle seat popped up, ‘Could it be her blood sugar? I have a diabetic testing kit.’
“It was @Ravens TE Mark Andrews. Andrews instructed the medical professionals (equal citizen heroes in this story) on using his test kit. Eventually her heart-rate stabilized.
“Andrews instructed the medical professionals (equal citizen heroes in this story) on using his test kit. Eventually her heart-rate stabilized.”
Andrews, as a Type 1 diabetic, is familiar with the situation and as a professional athlete, he has to check his blood sugar levels each time he comes off the field.
“When my blood sugar is a little higher, I have to get insulin to bring it down. When it’s low, I take some sugar. Some Gatorade or something like that,” he said in a sideline video this season.
Springs mentioned that once the plane landed, paramedics were on the scene while Andrews left quietly.
“No fanfare. As he has done his whole career, he stepped up in a huge moment when people needed him most. Watching complete strangers spring into action to help save someone’s life is truly amazing,” his post concluded.
A little more than two hours after Springs’ post, Andrews released a statement through the Ravens, confirming the incident.
“In addition to the fast-acting flight attendants, the real heroes are the nurse and doctor who also happened to be on the plane,” he said. “Thankfully they were able to provide the woman the quick assistance she needed.”
According to an interview with GQ, Andrews was diagnosed at 9-years-old while he was on his way to play in a soccer tournament with his parents, whom were “deathly afraid” for him.
His blood sugar was about 400, he recalled, on the way to the tournament, in which he did participate in and scored three goals in his first game after receiving the news.
“I have just kind of always been someone that just goes out there and attacks,” he said. “You can think about the ‘Why me? Why did I get this?’ When you dwell on that, you’re dwelling on things that you can’t control. I like to control the controllables, attack what I can attack, and just try to approach each day with a positive mindset of I’m going to get better, I’m going to do something that’s positive and not dwell on something that I can’t change.”
Andrews suffered a left ankle injury late in the regular season against the Bengals and he returned in time for the Ravens’ AFC Championship game against the Chiefs, in which they fell short of the Super Bowl 17-10.
In the game, Andrews caught two passes for 15 yards.