Nurse hailed as hero for bravery during one of last decade's most extreme weather disasters
ByKyle Jones
Published Jan 9, 2020 4:34 PM EDT
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Nurse Sandra Kyong Bradbury (R) hugs Jo-An Tremblay, the mother of one of the newborns the nurse saved when power went out in the NICU of a New York City hospital during Superstorm Sandy. (YouTube / ABC News)
On Oct. 29, 2012, New York City was struck by Superstorm Sandy, a post-tropical cyclone so powerful and immense that it could have covered a quarter of the continental United States when at its maximum size. Despite ample forewarning of Sandy’s trajectory, city officials proved unprepared for the shocking force of the behemoth storm.
Sustained winds in excess of 80 miles per hour battered the New York City region, according to NOAA. In New York City, the 14-foot storm surge brought catastrophic flooding to the streets as winds knocked out power lines and even power plants, causing billions of dollars worth of damages.
The human cost proved devastating as well, as at least 43 people in the city alone lost their lives to the impacts of the storm, according to city officials. But were it not for the heroic efforts of one woman -- also, coincidentally, named Sandy -- the tragedy inflicted by the super storm could have proven even greater.
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 13 (GOES-13) captured this natural-color image of Hurricane Sandy at 1:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (17:45 Universal Time) on October 28, 2012, one day before the massive storm struck New York City. (NOAA)
As a new decade begins, AccuWeather is revisiting some of the most extreme weather events of the last decade and highlighting the heroic people who carried out selfless acts during those disasters to help those in need. Perhaps no one is more emblematic of heroism than Sandra Kyong Bradbury.
Sandra Kyong Bradbury, then 30, a nurse at New York University’s Langone Medical Center in Lower Manhattan, was between shifts when the power went out at the hospital. At the time, there were 20 babies in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), many of whom were unable even to draw breath without assistance. The power loss, she knew, was a likely death sentence for the infants unless they could swiftly get the babies to another hospital.
There was no time for hesitation. Bundling together the infants’ IV drips, medications and ventilators, Sandy and her fellow nurses personally carried the at-risk babies down nine flights of stairs in the darkness. With each step, the nurses had to synchronize their timing to manually pump air into their delicate charges’ struggling lungs.
Too little air, and the infants would suffocate. Too much, and they risked damaging their lungs irreparably. In her own arms, Sandy bore Jackson Shepherd, a prematurely born infant weighing just two and a half pounds. Remarkably, Sandy and her fellow nurses were able to save the lives of all 20 of their charges.
“It took a lot of coordination,” Sandy recalled in an interview given to Reader’s Digest at the time. “Because they were in our arms, we were able to constantly monitor the babies’ color and heart rates.
“We care for these babies every day,” she
added. “This experience shows that we protect them as if they’re our own
children.”
As the nurses carried the babies in their arms through the flooded streets to waiting ambulances, news crews captured dramatic video of the rescue -- inspiring not only residents of the city, but also countless people across the country, including the people in the White House. President Obama delivered a personal message of thanks to the nurses, declaring proudly that they represented the “brightest in America.”
Baby Jackson’s mother, Jo-An Tremblay-Shepherd, told New York Magazine that Sandy and her fellow nurses should be regarded as heroes.
“In my estimation,” said Tremblay-Shepherd, “they are the highest.” She added, "I'm just so thankful. Sandy was right by my side through the whole time."
Working in the NICU, Sandy explained to ABC News, was a
responsibility that all nurses approached with absolute commitment and
dedication. So when adversity struck, she said, she and her fellow nurses were
prepared to do whatever it took to secure the infants’ safety. Her job, she
said, was to “take care of (the babies)” -- no matter what.
“It was in extreme circumstances,” she
acknowledged. “You step up, and I think that's what makes a hero."
Seven years after the dramatic events of that cold Monday evening in October, AccuWeather reached out to Sandy, who now serves as the Hospital Business Manager for Mead Johnson Nutrition in New Jersey. She declined a formal interview but told AccuWeather that she was “blessed to remain friends with Baby Jackson and his wonderful family” and that she was “grateful to have been part of an amazing team of nurses during Hurricane Sandy.”
“The babies, their families, my fellow nurses and the memories will always remain a part of me and hold a special place in my heart,” Sandy said.
Below, watch an ABC News interview with Sandra Kyong Bradbury and her colleagues from 2012.
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News / Weather News
Nurse hailed as hero for bravery during one of last decade's most extreme weather disasters
By Kyle Jones
Published Jan 9, 2020 4:34 PM EDT
Nurse Sandra Kyong Bradbury (R) hugs Jo-An Tremblay, the mother of one of the newborns the nurse saved when power went out in the NICU of a New York City hospital during Superstorm Sandy. (YouTube / ABC News)
On Oct. 29, 2012, New York City was struck by Superstorm Sandy, a post-tropical cyclone so powerful and immense that it could have covered a quarter of the continental United States when at its maximum size. Despite ample forewarning of Sandy’s trajectory, city officials proved unprepared for the shocking force of the behemoth storm.
Sustained winds in excess of 80 miles per hour battered the New York City region, according to NOAA. In New York City, the 14-foot storm surge brought catastrophic flooding to the streets as winds knocked out power lines and even power plants, causing billions of dollars worth of damages.
The human cost proved devastating as well, as at least 43 people in the city alone lost their lives to the impacts of the storm, according to city officials. But were it not for the heroic efforts of one woman -- also, coincidentally, named Sandy -- the tragedy inflicted by the super storm could have proven even greater.
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 13 (GOES-13) captured this natural-color image of Hurricane Sandy at 1:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (17:45 Universal Time) on October 28, 2012, one day before the massive storm struck New York City. (NOAA)
As a new decade begins, AccuWeather is revisiting some of the most extreme weather events of the last decade and highlighting the heroic people who carried out selfless acts during those disasters to help those in need. Perhaps no one is more emblematic of heroism than Sandra Kyong Bradbury.
Sandra Kyong Bradbury, then 30, a nurse at New York University’s Langone Medical Center in Lower Manhattan, was between shifts when the power went out at the hospital. At the time, there were 20 babies in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), many of whom were unable even to draw breath without assistance. The power loss, she knew, was a likely death sentence for the infants unless they could swiftly get the babies to another hospital.
There was no time for hesitation. Bundling together the infants’ IV drips, medications and ventilators, Sandy and her fellow nurses personally carried the at-risk babies down nine flights of stairs in the darkness. With each step, the nurses had to synchronize their timing to manually pump air into their delicate charges’ struggling lungs.
Too little air, and the infants would suffocate. Too much, and they risked damaging their lungs irreparably. In her own arms, Sandy bore Jackson Shepherd, a prematurely born infant weighing just two and a half pounds. Remarkably, Sandy and her fellow nurses were able to save the lives of all 20 of their charges.
“It took a lot of coordination,” Sandy recalled in an interview given to Reader’s Digest at the time. “Because they were in our arms, we were able to constantly monitor the babies’ color and heart rates.
“We care for these babies every day,” she added. “This experience shows that we protect them as if they’re our own children.”
As the nurses carried the babies in their arms through the flooded streets to waiting ambulances, news crews captured dramatic video of the rescue -- inspiring not only residents of the city, but also countless people across the country, including the people in the White House. President Obama delivered a personal message of thanks to the nurses, declaring proudly that they represented the “brightest in America.”
Baby Jackson’s mother, Jo-An Tremblay-Shepherd, told New York Magazine that Sandy and her fellow nurses should be regarded as heroes.
“In my estimation,” said Tremblay-Shepherd, “they are the highest.” She added, "I'm just so thankful. Sandy was right by my side through the whole time."
Working in the NICU, Sandy explained to ABC News, was a responsibility that all nurses approached with absolute commitment and dedication. So when adversity struck, she said, she and her fellow nurses were prepared to do whatever it took to secure the infants’ safety. Her job, she said, was to “take care of (the babies)” -- no matter what.
“It was in extreme circumstances,” she acknowledged. “You step up, and I think that's what makes a hero."
Seven years after the dramatic events of that cold Monday evening in October, AccuWeather reached out to Sandy, who now serves as the Hospital Business Manager for Mead Johnson Nutrition in New Jersey. She declined a formal interview but told AccuWeather that she was “blessed to remain friends with Baby Jackson and his wonderful family” and that she was “grateful to have been part of an amazing team of nurses during Hurricane Sandy.”
“The babies, their families, my fellow nurses and the memories will always remain a part of me and hold a special place in my heart,” Sandy said.
Below, watch an ABC News interview with Sandra Kyong Bradbury and her colleagues from 2012.
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