Heart Association honors nurse for saving her neighbor’s life
Published: May 17, 2006
The incessant banging at the door jolted Candie Kokaram from a deep sleep.
A neighbor was frantic: A resident had fallen at the pool and needed help. Kokaram, a registered nurse practitioner, rushed to the scene.
Kokaram is used to emergencies. She deals with them repeatedly at Delray Medical Center, where she has worked for 10 years.
But this was the first time she had to use CPR outside the hospital.
“She had hit her head and had blood around her head. She had no pulse. I didn’t know her and didn’t have any medical history on her. I started CPR and kept going until the paramedics came,” she said.
The neighbor, whom Kokaram knew only as Fran, got a pacemaker and went to live with her family in New York, she said. “About a week later I got a call from the fire department saying that Fran was going to rehab, that she was doing well. I was happy for her,” she said.
Recently, Kokaram was given the American Heart Association’s Heart Saver Award for her action.
“Candie’s dedication to caring for those in need extends well beyond our hospital walls,” said Delray Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Karen Bibbo. “She provides the care and compassion that is so critical in nursing and has the clinical acumen that makes her one of the best.”
Kokaram is modest about being credited with saving the woman’s life, instead praising the EMS workers called to the scene.
“Luckily, it wasn’t Fran’s day to die. If you had asked me then and there if she would survive, I would have said no,” she said.
Even though Kokaram sees all kinds of emergencies at Delray Medical’s trauma unit, facing a crisis outside the hospital had a few jarring moments. “It was quite an adrenaline rush,” she said of the February incident. Kokaram is used to frantic days. At work, there is never a mundane moment, she said.
Kokaram, the mother of an 8-year-old daughter, decided she wanted to be a nurse when she was her daughter’s age. “I watched all the TV shows that featured nurses. I thought it seemed interesting and it looked like fun,” she said.
And now: “I like the diversity, the excitement of it and being able to help people.”
But she said she doesn’t think the public realizes what being a nurse entails, how much education is required and how challenging the job can be.
“Nursing has changed a lot. As the population ages, we see people who are sicker these days, especially in South Florida. You have to know your stuff,” said Kokaram, who went to nursing school at Macomb University in Michigan and got her nurse practitioner master’s at Florida Atlantic University.
“This is the most rewarding job you can have…you are entering a person’s life when they really need you,” she said.
What are your hobbies?
“I run just about every day. I’ve done a lot of marathons. I plug in my iPod and get away from everything.”
Who is your hero?
“My mom. She raised seven children. I have five sisters and one brother. She took time for each and every one of us. You knew you could make it through anything with her. To this day, I call her about anything. She is like a life coach; she is very good with advice, very supportive.”
What do you do when you want to get away from everything?
“Run. It makes me feel better.”
When and why did you move to Florida?
“I grew up in Michigan, but moved here in 1992. I wanted to see something different and I fell in love with Florida, with the warm weather.”
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