Family Thanks EMS Director

For Arkansas City Fire/EMS Director Jeri Wheatley, on August 26, 2023, she was just doing her job. For those who love 2-year-old Luna, August 26, 2023, is the day that Jeri Wheatley became their hero.

While enjoying a quiet breakfast with her husband at a restaurant in Ponca City, Okla., Wheatley’s keen eye and quick thinking averted a potential tragedy. Observing a child in distress at a nearby table, Wheatley sprang into action, utilizing her paramedic skills to save the day.

Almost a year later, Elaina Howe, still shaken by the events of that fateful morning, recounts how Wheatley’s intervention became a lifeline for her daughter, Luna. 

“We had just gone to have breakfast. Luna is usually very good at not putting stuff in her mouth, especially money,” Elaina shared. 

What happened next was probably best described by Jeri’s husband, who said it felt like he was watching a movie. 

“I noticed her color had changed. She was turning blue. I stood up and grabbed her out of the chair. I took her away from them and told them I was a paramedic,” Wheatley said. “I performed a foreign body airway maneuver. It took a couple of times, but the quarter came out, and she threw up on me, and all was right in the world.”

Last week in Arkansas City, Elaina, Luna, and grandparents Earl and Bridget Howe thanked Wheatley in person for her actions. The Howes, proud members of the Ponca Tribe, expressed their gratitude by presenting Wheatley with a blanket—a significant symbol within their culture.

“Every second counts when it comes to breathing. I’m so grateful that Luna was in the same restaurant as this beautiful lady who stepped up while she was off duty. She was just in the right place at the right time for whatever reason,” Earl Howe said of Wheatley. “There were other people in the restaurant, and some may have stepped up too, but what are the chances that a trained person would be there?”

For the Howes, Wheatley’s heroism carried even more profound significance, as they had recently experienced the tragic loss of their oldest son in a drowning accident in July 2023.

“We were all emotional and mourning his death, and the thought of losing another family member would have been even more devastating to all of us,” Earl said. 

Wheatley’s swift actions may fade from Luna’s memory of that breakfast in August 2023, but the Howes will forever cherish the woman who saved her.

“I’m not super religious, but I feel like everything happens for a reason, and people are in place for a reason,” Elaina said.