Valentine’s Day Reunion: Woman’s Life Saved At Newark Airport

NEWARK, NJ — 2021 will be a special Valentine’s Day for a wife and husband from Indiana, and it’s largely thanks to Port Authority police officers at Newark Airport in New Jersey, authorities say.

On Sunday, Lisa and Michael Kirby are expected to fly back home after Lisa suffered a harrowing medical episode at the airport in January. But before they do, the pair plan to meet with the public safety workers who helped to save her life.

Here’s how it happened, Port Authority officials said:

“On January 16 in Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport, a cleaner noticed a woman was experiencing a medical episode and called Port Authority police right away. Within minutes, PAPD officers Mark Burkhardt and Jason Nielsen responded and were first on scene. The officers assessed the woman, Lisa Kirby, and initially thought she was suffering from a stroke or seizure because she was shaking violently, and the left side of her face was drooping. She was conscious but unable to speak. The officers monitored Lisa’s vitals, and communicated with her to help her with her breathing as they waited for paramedics to arrive. She was immediately transported to University Hospital for evaluation.”

Port Authority officials said emergency responders weren’t aware of the severity of the case until Michael Kirby contacted the police department to thank officers Burkhardt and Nielsen.

“Everything was in place that day to save Lisa’s life,” a grateful Kirby said. “If there was one missing link, my wife wouldn’t have been here today.”

It turned out that she was suffering from a brain aneurism, Port Authority officials said.

“The couple had arrived from Indiana and were waiting for their connecting flight to Aruba when Lisa fell ill next to the bathroom in the terminal,” the agency said. “Lisa was in the ICU for about 23 days and after speaking with the paramedic, her husband stated that they told him she only had a twenty percent chance of surviving.”

According to Port Authority officials, Kirby has since undergone surgery to treat her condition and is doing much better, with a great prognosis of a full recovery.

The involved officers were humble about the effort.

“Our primary goal is to save lives,” Nielsen said. “This is an example of what police officers do on a daily basis at the Port Authority. Everyone came together and did their part that morning.”

“It’s very rewarding knowing I contributed,” Burkhardt said. “As a police officer, I always want to help save lives, and I did what any other officer would have done in my position.”

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