An 81-year-old Airdrie woman is thanking the firefighters and paramedics who reached her door within minutes of a 9-1-1 call after she became seriously ill at home on Oct. 1. Joanne (Joan) Gourdinne said she had been short of breath for several days. The day before, she struggled to walk her dog, stopping every few dozen steps to catch her breath. The next morning, the tightness in her chest became much worse. Her neighbour helped her back inside her condo near Genesis Place and called 911 around 9:30 a.m. “They were so amazing,” Gourdinne said. “They came — I mean, they were quick. I’m saying five minutes; I don’t think it was that long. They came in. They were calm. They were collected. They were polite. They went above and beyond just to pay attention to me and my needs. All of them, they were truly amazing.” She said three firefighters and two paramedics surrounded her and kept her calm. “They were just all so amazing, polite, making sure their focus was on me and not what was going on anywhere else.” When asked what she would say to the crews if she could see them again, Gourdinne replied: “Just thank you for my life.” “Everything that transpired that day was done through Airdrie Fire and Airdrie EMS. I can’t say enough about them.” Her late husband’s three decades with the Calgary Police Service, she said, shaped her respect for first responders. “My husband was also a first responder for almost 30 years. He was with the Calgary Police Service, so I know what they do, but I also know that they don’t get the appropriate applause that they deserve. Every first responder does not deserve the disrespect that they receive. … I just want everybody to know how great a service that we had here and that I had personally, and as far as I’m concerned, I can never thank them enough.” “He was an amazing man,” she said. “Calgary Police Service is a very large family — the Veterans Association, the same thing. I’m not sure what the paramedics and firefighters have in common when it comes to that kind of family. … They certainly have my support no matter what.” Paramedics began treatment immediately. “They got me off my feet, got me in the ambulance, started an IV. They tried the ECG, and it didn’t appear to be a heart attack at that point, but there was definitely something seriously wrong.” Gourdinne said the paramedics stayed with her until doctors at the hospital took over. “The first doctor that came to see me immediately said, ‘I want X-rays. I think she’s got a blood clot.’ Then they discovered that I’d had a major clot come through the heart into the lungs, and then it exploded, and so my lungs are literally full of blood clots right now. They got me into intensive care, and I would be bedridden.” “It was very touch and go for me. The doctors tell me if I’d waited two more hours, I wouldn’t have lived.” She said doctors told her she had several blood clots in both lungs and some heart damage. “I will be 82 in two months. I remained very active. [My] husband, who was very ill for many years... I was his sole caretaker. He passed away two years ago, and this really came as a total shock, because I’d shown no symptoms or anything before.” Now recovering at home, Gourdinne said her treatment will take time. “It’s a very long recovery because the clots now have to be absorbed back into my body, so I’m on a lot of medication. It will take a long time for the heart damage to heal as well, but I will get through it. I’m a tough old bird.” On Oct. 8, she shared a public message of thanks on Facebook: “Hi, I just want to express my sincere gratitude to the Airdrie Fire Department and the Airdrie Ambulance Paramedics. Last Wednesday morning I became very ill and thought I might be having a heart attack. Within five minutes of calling 911 I had both the ambulance and firefighters at my door. They were truly kind and caring. I did not have a heart attack but several blood clots in both lungs and some damage to my heart, but thanks to them I made it to the hospital safely to get the help I needed. Fortunately I am back home after some time in ICU and on the road to recovery.” The post, shared in a local Airdrie community Facebook group, has since drawn widespread praise from residents. Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon. Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com. You can also message and follow us on Twitter: @AIR1061FM. DiscoverAirdrie encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverAirdrie app. To hear more on this story and others, stream us live here.