WAIMEA — Linda Shumard found herself nearly helpless as she suffered suddenly from heart trouble and struggled to maintain consciousness. The 57-year-old from Waimea may not have survived, she said, if not for her pets. “If they had not revived
WAIMEA — Linda Shumard found herself nearly helpless as she suffered suddenly from heart trouble and struggled to maintain consciousness.
The 57-year-old from Waimea may not have survived, she said, if not for her pets.
“If they had not revived me to call 911, I would not be on Facebook today, I would be in heaven,” she wrote in an email to the Garden Island.
Shumard began having heart problems about 11:45 a.m. June 5 and felt herself becoming weaker. She was alone in her home as her husband and grandson were away.
She said her cat and two dogs helped her stay awake and she called 911.
She was then taken to Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital, where she recovered.
Schumard gives credit to emergency responders — and her pets, who licked, nudged and pushed on her.
The feline heroine’s name is Sassy, their black cat. The canine heroes are Odie and Liberty.
Odie is a chihuahua, dachshund and terrier mix. Liberty is a greyhound. Odie was adopted from their neighbor.
“They are my heroine and my heroes,” she said.
Paramedics said that had Shumard not remained conscious before they arrived, she could have died, according to Dale Shumard, Shumard’s husband.
Her doctor, Linda Paul who practices at West Kauai Clinic in Kalaheo, “I’m glad that she is doing well, and that the pets were there to support her.”
