Piedmont Columbus Regional has named Officer Adil Zaman with the Columbus Police Department as well as DeAndré Martin and Veronica Thomas with EMS Care Ambulance the organization’s First Friday Heroes for the month of January.

A woman was found in the roadway with damage to her car but no other car on-scene. A passerby called 911. Officer Adil Zaman responded, and the woman was verbally unresponsive. Officer Zaman notified EMS to evaluate the woman. DeAndré Martin and Veronica Thomas immediately recognized the woman could be having a stroke and rushed her to Piedmont Columbus Regional’s Midtown Campus. Initial scans confirmed the patient was experiencing a hemorrhagic stroke, which is caused by bleeding in the brain by a ruptured blood vessel. She was intubated for better breathing and taken to the Operating Room for emergent treatment. If Zaman, Martin, and Thomas had not responded in such a timely manner, the patient’s outcome would have been devastating.

A ceremony with Zaman, Martin, and Thomas as well as hospital leadership will be held at a later date to commend them for their response. Their story is also featured throughout the hospital on commemorative posters and Piedmont Columbus Regional’s social media pages.

Piedmont Columbus Regional created the First Friday Hero program in mid-2016 to recognize first responders each month who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Their line of work is often a thankless job and we want to make the community aware of our local heroes and all they do to make Columbus a better and safer place.