Louisiana Nurse Passes Away After Saving Paraplegic Patient During A House Fire

A nurse in Louisiana has passed away after saving her paraplegic patient’s life during a house fire. 

On Monday evening in Dehli, Louisiana, 64-year-old in-home nurse Gwendolyn Theus rushed to her patient’s room after a fire broke out inside the home. Theus first attempted to wheel the 71-year-old paraplegic’s bed out of the room. However, the blaze trapped them inside. She then bravely pulled the patient out of bed and attempted to push her from the single-story home window. Neighbors outside of the window desperately helped to pull the patient out until firefighters arrived at the home.  Sadly, Theus had become overcome by the smoke and could not be saved by rescuers. The patient was revived and flown to a Mississippi burn unit, where she is expected to make a full recovery. 

State Fire Marshal H. “Butch” Browning praised Theus for her courage and lent his condolences to her family in a news release.

“Ms. Theus’ valiant efforts to put her patient’s life before her own are both admirable and heartbreaking. Our prayers are with her loved ones and with the surviving victim for her recovery and loss of her dedicated nurse and friend.”

Due to the extensive damage to the home, the cause of the fire has yet to be determined.