Three Women Reunite After Off-Duty Nurse Saves Fan’s Life at Vegas Hockey Game

What started as a fun night between girlfriends at a Golden Knights game quickly turned into a life or death emergency when one of them suddenly collapsed in the stands. A nurse seated nearby rushed in to help, performing CPR and ultimately saving her life. Three women, forever linked by a single life-saving moment, later reunited—an emotional moment that closed the circle on a night none of them will ever forget.

From Hockey Game to Medical Emergency

Jeannie Cunningham was watching the Vegas Golden Knights face off against the Chicago Blackhawks with her friend, Linda Fucci, when something felt off.

“We watched the first period and we were going to go to the ladies room and she suddenly said, I was really tired,” Cunningham said. The next thing she knew, she was collapsing in slow motion down the steps of the arena.

Fucci was shocked and scared for her friend. Someone nearby called for help as people around them realized this wasn’t a simple fainting spell. Cunningham was unresponsive.

A Nurse Jumps Into Action

Sitting a few rows away was registered nurse Susie Teems, who had been enjoying the game like everyone else that night. But when she saw Cunningham fall, instinct took over.

“Then Superwoman came, jumped over fans, and she was the CPR,” Fucci said. “She took total control.

Teems wasn’t wearing scrubs or carrying medical tools. She didn’t hesitate to assess Cunningham, who was unresponsive and showing agonal breathing, a sign of possible cardiac arrest. 

“I just looked at her, and I saw that she was agonal breathing. She was staring straight up, and then I felt for a pulse, and she didn’t have one,” Teems explained.

She immediately began CPR while others in the crowd helped locate an automated external defibrillator (AED). It took some time for the AED to reach her, but Cunningham was kept alive with continuous, basic CPR until it arrived. That early intervention, combined with the use of the AED, ultimately saved her life.

A New Bond — and a Working Heart

Cunningham was transported to the hospital, where doctors confirmed she had gone into cardiac arrest. Thanks to the quick actions of Teems, she not only survived but made a full recovery.

After leaving the hospital, Cunningham and Fucci wanted nothing more than to find the woman who made that possible. “I just made a little post on Facebook, you know, ‘Thank you to the people between 4 and 5 who helped my friend in a medical emergency.’ That’s all I wrote,” Fucci said.

Teems saw the post and reached out. “I said, well, give her my number. I want to talk to her,” Teems said.

When the three women finally met again, it wasn’t just a reunion, it was a celebration of life and friendship. Teems even brought Cunningham a brand-new Golden Knights jersey to replace the one that had been torn during CPR efforts that night.

“Come to a person’s aid because you can do something to help another person,” Cunningham said. “The gratitude that I have for them from the depths of my heart, from my working heart now.”

Why This Matters

For nurses everywhere, this story is a beautiful reminder that the call to help doesn’t stop when the shift ends.

Nurses are trained to act quickly and calmly under pressure, skills that can make all the difference in moments like this. The American Heart Association says that immediate CPR can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival after cardiac arrest when used together with an AED.

Even off the clock, nurses carry that training with them wherever they go. Their readiness to act, whether in a hospital or at a hockey game, is part of what defines nursing as both a profession and a calling.

🤔Nurses, have you ever had to step in during an emergency while you were off the clock? Share your experience in the discussion forum below!