Denise Nostin honored as Hometown Hero

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - West Springfield Nurse Denise Nostin has lived a purposeful life. She's used her lifesaving skills more than once to rescue victims from death.

Denise earned the distinction of being a Pioneer Valley Red Cross Hometown Hero after helping to save the life of an 84-year-old woman.

Denise and her husband Tom frequently had dinner at Cal's Restaurant in West Springfield. Denise told 22News she never expected that night to bring to bear her 30 years of nursing experience when an 84-year-old woman started choking and stopped breathing.

Denise Nostin knew she had to take action. "She was blue, and I did an assessment, touched her neck for a pulse, didn't have any, she wasn't breathing, I lifted her up underneath her shoulders, her armpits I laid her down on the floor here," said Denise, Hometown Hero.

Tom, her husband of 33 years, has seen Denise in these life and death situations before. He marvels, not only at her ability to keep the elderly woman alive until EMT's arrived minutes later. Tom admires his wife's commitment to saving lives no matter what, which he considers a truly uncommon quality.

"In today's environment, everybody's second guessing whether they should help out or not, because it seems everybody wants to sue the first person who comes along whether they're trying or not. She never hesitates , she just knows what she can do and she does it," said Denise's husband Tom.

Denise Nostin shares with 22News what was going through her mind during those crucial few minutes keeping the 84 year old woman alive. "What I was thinking when I was doing this was, I have an elderly mother, I would hope if she was in trouble, somebody would help her out."