LI phone rep aids Georgia woman
Donna Petrosini smiles at her desk where she is a telemarketer for Ronkonkoma-based 39dollarglasses.com. (Feb. 16, 2011) Credit: John Paraskevas
The phone rang around 4:30 p.m., making it the last call of the day for Donna Petrosini at her customer service job at a Ronkonkoma-based online eyewear retailer.
But the call from regular customer Karen Ford, originally about returning a pair of glasses, soon went awry, Petrosini said of the Jan. 21 conversation.
It was clear from her voice that Ford was having a medical emergency, Petrosini said Wednesday. But instead of disconnecting the call and going home, Petrosini stayed on the line with Ford, sought medical help and soon the Chickamauga, Ga., woman was in an ambulance heading to the hospital.
Petrosini, 44, of Mount Sinai, realized Ford was having trouble breathing and was slurring her words during the call.
"She was starting to get confused," Petrosini said. "She kept slowing down."
In a recording of the call provided by the eyewear company Wednesday, Petrosini asked Ford "are you OK? Can you talk?"
"I'm . . . so tired," Ford, 35, is heard telling Petrosini.
"Miss Ford? Miss Ford?" Petrosini said during the recorded call. Petrosini said she then heard the phone fall to the floor of Ford's home.
"You could just tell something was not right," Petrosini said in a phone interview Wednesday. "I knew she had some medical issues, just from dealing with her in the past."
Petrosini kept the line open, trying to speak with Ford as a co-worker contacted 911, where an operator routed the call to emergency workers in Georgia.
"I had no idea what was going on. I just stayed on the phone talking to her," Petrosini said.
Because Ford's address was in the company's database from previous orders, the Long Islanders were able to direct emergency workers to her home, said John Schofield, marketing director for 39dollarglasses.com.
"This poor woman needed help and Donna stepped up and did it," Schofield said. "We're so proud of her."Ford said that she lost consciousness because of an adverse reaction between herbal remedies and her prescription medicine for a neurological condition.
"She said that I could take my time to return the glasses," Ford added
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