Paramedic rescues Glen Eagle bee-sting victim

A Glen Eagle resident, who suffered a severe allergic reaction from a bee-sting on January 9, thanked the hero who saved her life.

Mari van Eeden (43) thanked Stephan Henderson, an ILS (intermediate life support) paramedic at Sec Pros Security, for coming to her assistance.

Henderson was in the right place at the right time.

Van Eeden and Henderson met officially for the first time on January 14 after she was stung while refueling her car at an Engen service station on Monument Road.

“While I was driving, all I knew was I had to get to Intercare at Cavendish Glen as I started getting confused due to the allergic reaction. I remember thinking I was not going to make it.”

Without realising it, she actually drove in the wrong direction. “I had no idea where I was.”

“I started looking for anything, even a taxi, to pull over to help me. That was when I saw you,” she told Henderson.

Henderson said she was unconscious by the time he reached her.

“I was on my way to the office from Johannesburg and saw Van Eeden flashing her lights behind me on Elgin Road near Soutpansberg Drive in Birchleigh.

“My first thought was that she might be in a hurry, so I accelerated, but then I saw her flashing lights again and her car trailing off the road. As I pulled over, she said she was stung by a bee, and then collapsed.

“As I got to her, I saw her medical bracelet. When I saw ‘bee’, I knew it could be a matter of minutes.

Van Eeden was transported to Arwyp, where Henderson put her on her first drip. She was discharged from hospital the same afternoon but passed out at home around 8pm.

She was rushed to hospital by her brother and was released from ICU two days later on January 11.

Van Eeden emphasised the importance of the medical bracelet she wears. Medic Alert and In Case of Emergency (ICE) bracelets are medical alerts describing a person’s particular condition to immediately inform others who want to help when the victim is unconscious.

“People ask why I do not have an Epipen but I do keep it with me. Because my reaction is so rapid, I often don’t even think about it.”

When asked about tips to keep in mind when someone has been stung by a bee and is suffering from a hyper-allergic reaction, Henderson said the bracelet was anyone’s best bet at staying alive when minutes count.

Due to the anaphylaxis Van Eeden suffered, her heart muscle was damaged. She will visit a cardiology specialist in Cape Town for further treatment.

With a sincere hug of gratitude, Van Eeden told Henderson: “All I can say is thank you, Stephan, with all my heart.”