HAGER CITY, WI – Yesterday, Derrick Van Orden was interviewed by WKBT in La Crosse about an incident that occurred at a campaign event.
While Derrick was speaking, he saw several people moving with purpose into another area of the building. When he followed, he saw a woman sitting unresponsive and turning blue in the face. With years of experience as a combat medic, Derrick stepped in and provided rescue breaths to her until she was revived.
Read the full story from WKBT here and read an excerpt below:
“I looked at her and I said Betty… Betty come back to us… come back to us Betty.,” said Van Orden. “And then after I gave her some rescue breaths, she kind of coughed, and I looked at her and her eyes came back, and the life back into her face. It’s absolutely beautiful.”
“And he truly knew how to act in a state of emergency,” said Kabara.
“I said Betty how are you doing? And she said, I’m really thankful to be here. And I looked at her and said, Betty, We’re really thankful that you’re here also,” said Van Orden.
“They were able to finally get me back to breathing,” said Kabara.
Van Orden is a former Navy SEAL, and is currently running for Congress in Wisconsin’s 3rd District. Kabara and her late husband have been pivotal in the La Crosse community by making contributions to Gundersen Health System, and have set up an Entrepreneurial Institution at St. Mary’s University in Minnesota.
Two people with a long list of accomplishments, now bonded by a life saving moment.
To learn more about Derrick Van Orden, visit VanOrdenForCongress.com.