Nurse Pulls Off the Ultimate Code Blue—On a Raccoon
Image sources: Misty Combs via Herald-Leader
Nurses are no strangers to saving lives under pressure. Cardiac arrest? We got it. Airway emergency? No problem. Catastrophe in room 305? Already on it. But what about a Code Raccoon?
That’s exactly what one Kentucky nurse, Misty Combs, tackled recently when she found a very still, very lifeless–looking raccoon. Most of us would say a quick prayer, shed a tear for Mother Nature, and move along. But not this nurse! She channeled her clinical instincts, dropped to her knees, and started chest compressions… on the raccoon.
“I thought it was dead,” she told local WYMT reporters. Within moments, however, the little critter coughed, sputtered, and—wait for it—came back to life. Move over, Netflix, because Nurse vs. Nature is the real drama we’re here for.
Dumpster Drama: How the Rescue Went Down
The story gets even wilder when you hear the backstory. Nurse Misty Combs found the raccoon passed out cold in a dumpster in Letcher County, KY, after the little guy had indulged in some fermented peaches used for making moonshine. Yep, this was basically a raccoon DUI situation.
Despite the unusual circumstances, Nurse Misty jumped right in. She cleared the raccoon’s lungs with quick, expert CPR chest compressions to get it breathing again. Soon enough, the critter was coughing up a storm and coming back to life. After a game warden took the raccoon to a vet for a proper checkup, Misty got to release the now-revived raccoon back into the wild.
Nurse on Duty: Anywhere, Anytime, Any Creature
Healthcare doesn’t stop when you clock out. Nurses know this better than anyone. If there’s an emergency at Target, in a restaurant, or on a backroad involving woodland creatures, a nurse is going to step up. It’s in the DNA.
And honestly, if you think about it—maybe animal CPR training should be part of every skills fair. Sure, we learn about peds, OB, geriatrics… but where’s the mannequin that represents a fainted raccoon?
The best part? The raccoon scampered away like nothing happened—no paperwork, no discharge instructions, no family meeting. Honestly? Sounds like a dream patient.
The Takeaway
If you’re in healthcare, this story may hit home: our training sticks with us, even in the most unexpected scenarios. Whether it’s a patient, a stranger, or even a roadside raccoon, nurses are always ready to jump into action.
So the next time your non-nurse friend asks, “You could never just turn it off, could you?”—the answer is officially, “No. Not even for wildlife.”
And to Misty Combs, the Kentucky nurse turned unofficial “Raccoon Resuscitation Specialist”—we see you, we salute you, and we’re definitely adding “woodland creature CPR” to our never-ending list of nursing skills.
🤔 Nurses, would you try to save an animal with CPR? Share your thoughts in the discussion forum below.
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