A Little League baseball umpire and the doctor who saved his life are speaking out about the lifesaving rescue that took place on a baseball field.
Korey Pontbriand, a longtime Little League umpire in Worcester, Massachusetts, said if Dr. Jennifer LaFemina, a surgical oncologist at UMass Memorial Health, had not been attending the game he was officiating on July 11, he would not be alive today.
"She literally took charge out there in that field," Pontbriand told reporters Tuesday after he and LaFemina were honored as "Hometown Heroes" at a local minor league baseball game. "I can honestly tell you I would not be sitting here ... if it wasn't her right there [on the field]."
Pontbriand said he spent three days unconscious and intubated in the intensive care unit at UMass Memorial Health after he was hit in the throat by a wild pitch while officiating a tournament game in which LaFemina's son was playing.
LaFemina, who happened to be attending the game with her medical assistant, came down from the stands to evaluate Pontbriand after he was hit.
When he declined further medical attention, she continued to keep an eye on him as he continued to umpire the game in a different field position.
A few innings later, as Pontbriand's condition declined, he collapsed and LaFemina immediately began performing CPR, with the help of her assistant.
While LaFemina was working to resuscitate Pontbriand, her son, Grayson, scored a game-winning run.
"Somewhere around all of this, our team tied, Grayson stole home, and [Pontbriand] arrested while Grayson was stealing home," LaFemina told reporters. "So we were doing CPR as they [Grayson's baseball team] were celebrating."
'It was just fate': Surgeon mom saves umpire's life at son's baseball game LaFemina said her medical training of staying calm in stressful situations "paid off" in the moment, as well as the support she had around her, including her medical assistant, Emily Lutfy, as well as Phil Davis, president of the Oxford Little League, whose team was playing against LaFemina's son in the tournament.
"But I think really, when a situation like that happens, you go into a different place," LaFemina added. "And the place you go is just, here's the job we've got to do."
Once Pontbriand was stabilized, he was transported to UMass Memorial Health, where LaFemina continued to support his recovery by checking in daily.
"She literally texts me every day," Pontbriand said of LaFemina, whom he had not met prior to July 11. "She checks to see how I'm doing and if I have any questions, because I'm an umpire, not a medical person ... And every time I ask her, she sends me every piece of information that I need."
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Pontbriand said he expects to spend another five to six weeks in a cervical collar to support his neck, and hopes to return soon to the baseball field.
"I'm very eager and strong enough in order to get this physical therapy done so I can get back home field to my boys," he said.
LaFemina said that even though her son's team won the baseball game that day, and eventually went on to win the tournament, what matters is that Pontbriand survived.
The surgeon added that what she remembers most from the game is how Pontbriand encouraged her son and other players, even amid his injury.
"Baseball comes and goes, but this doesn't," LaFemina said to Pontbriand. "Our team was great, and I'm just grateful to you, because I think that influence, when you have an umpire who so positively influences these children, it's critical."