Jo Lynn is an avid gardener who loves spending time tending to her yard and garden. On this day in August 2022, while gardening at home alone, she was suddenly swarmed by wasps. Reacting instinctively, she did what any of us would do, and fled. In the process, she tripped and fell on the watering can she had been using.

She was startled to find blood coming from her neck and made her way inside to call for help. While she didn’t know this at the time, the spout of the watering can had sliced through her neck and into her salivary gland. She was able to call 911, and Payette County Paramedics responded. When they arrived, Jo Lynn was in her kitchen, bleeding heavily and vomiting blood. The paramedics worked rapidly to help control the bleeding and immediately requested Life Flight Network due to heavy blood loss and the critical nature of the call. EMS transported Jo to the helipad at the Payette Fire Department where Life Flight Network was waiting.

Jo Lynn needed a blood transfusion, and she needed it fast. The flight crew administered two units of blood while transporting her to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. Doctors discovered that she sustained damage to her jugular vein and her sublingual mandibular gland but after a few days of recovery in the ICU, she was discharged with minimal lasting effects.

Due to the rapid response and exceptional care provided by Payette County Paramedics, Life Flight Network, and Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, Jo Lynn was able to celebrate her birthday just a few weeks after the accident. One of the side effects of her injury is that food can taste bitter, and she told us that she normally doesn’t enjoy cake all that much, but on this birthday, the cake tasted exceptional. “I am forever grateful to the first responders and Life Flight Network crew for saving my life.”