A woman who was unaware of her pregnancy until a surprising moment last year reunited with an EMS officer who played a crucial role in saving her and her baby on Wednesday.
Lori Traore, 41, attended the 29th annual second chance ceremony in Red Hook, Brooklyn, where she and her young daughter were part of a gathering of 150 trauma survivors reuniting with paramedics, EMTs, FDNY officers, firefighters, and dispatchers.
“Honestly, I’m trying not to cry right now, thinking about what could have happened if my daughter wasn’t here. It’s emotional,” Traore shared, while holding her nine-month-old baby, Ellen Mystique, in her arms.
During the past year, EMS has responded to approximately 1.6 million life-threatening calls throughout the city.
“God sent FDNY to help create miracles,” noted Michael Fields, chief of the city’s EMS operations. “An EMT amplifies God’s power and enables these miracles.”
Reflecting on her experience, Traore described the day, August 9th, when she started feeling unwell at home. Suddenly, while in the shower, she felt compelled to push without any prior knowledge of being pregnant.
“I was told I couldn’t conceive. So when it happened, I was caught off guard,” she explained. “Next thing I know, I’m trying to push. It was surreal; there were ten fingers and ten toes, and then I just calmed down, called 911, and got things ready,” she said, recalling the chaos of the moment.
When FDNY Engine 306 arrived, they quickly cut the umbilical cord but discovered that her newborn was in cardiac arrest.
EMTs from Queens’ Tactical Response Group and Station 39 began performing CPR, sustaining her life long enough to transport her to the hospital where she regained her pulse and started breathing again.
The newborn’s cries were a welcome indication that she had survived the ordeal.
Traore later learned just how precarious her daughter’s situation had been. Since the placenta didn’t pass, she required urgent surgery at the hospital.
The baby spent four months in the hospital for the necessary care and was finally discharged on Christmas Eve.
“She is thriving! She’s walking now, getting stronger, and even taking a bottle,” Traore said of Ellen. “We’re slowly working through what she needs with physical and occupational therapy.”
For Guylaceia and his team of five, who also attended the ceremony, the experience felt like a true “miracle.”
“We gave this little soul a second chance at life,” he remarked. “As a parent myself, seeing her thrive is an amazing feeling.”
