Volunteers Save 95-Year-Old Woman During Connecticut Blizzard

Artist Michael DesRosiers watched the snow pile up on his steep driveway at 1:30 a.m., terrified his 95-year-old mother wouldn't survive until morning. When he called 911, he didn't think anyone could possibly reach their hilltop home during the blizzard.

Within minutes, he saw headlights pushing through the whiteout. A volunteer firefighter in a plow truck cleared the driveway in real time while an ambulance followed right behind.

"By the time I walked out front, I already saw the plow truck surging up the driveway," DesRosiers said from his mother's hospital ICU room a week later. "And right behind him was the ambulance."

EMT Jason Howell had spent the night sleeping on a couch at the Hamburg fire station, anticipating emergency calls during the storm. When the dispatcher radioed about Marianne DesRosiers, he grabbed his partner and coordinated with the firefighter in the plow truck to reach the home in under 10 minutes.

Inside, the team stabilized Marianne with oxygen while shielding their equipment from the howling wind and snow. A paramedic from Middlesex Health arrived within five minutes to perform a cardiac scan before transporting her to the hospital.

Hours later, when emergency room doctors told Michael his mother's condition was critical, he faced another problem: his driveway was buried again. Lyme Fire Chief John C.L. Evans immediately enlisted landscaping contractor Steve Deveaux to clear the path so Michael could reach his mother's bedside.

"In the worst possible situation, it's nice to see that there are people that step out of themselves and do amazing things," DesRosiers said. He called their actions "heroism magnified by two, which means a million."

The Ripple Effect

Howell joined the volunteer ambulance service during COVID-19 after noticing a sign asking for help at the fire station. The retirement of longtime members had left critical gaps in the 28 weekly shifts needed to cover the town.

With no formal medical background beyond CPR training and mountaineering experience, Howell stepped forward. Today he works three shifts per week, triple what most volunteers take on, to ensure Lyme always has emergency coverage.

Deputy Chief Ariana Eaton says the town's 13 active volunteers are stretched thin but never miss a call. The independent nonprofit recently hired paid EMTs for the hardest shifts to fill, but volunteerism remains its foundation.

For DesRosiers, the volunteers didn't just save his mother's life. They ensured he could be there to advocate for her when she needed him most, racing through a blizzard twice in one night to help a family of strangers.