By Kevin Deutsch
A Coral Springs nurse spent six days holed up in her home following a suicide attempt, surviving the mental health crisis thanks to a bond she forged with a police officer.
Coral Springs Police Officer Sandy Gomez was recognized at Wednesday’s City Commission meeting for his life-saving actions at the woman’s side, shortly after the two reunited at police headquarters during a videotaped meeting, city officials said.
The two hugged, both beaming, and exchanged a few warm words before recounting the nurse’s ordeal.
“I tried to commit suicide, and being a nurse, I tried really hard and spent six days in my house,” said the woman police identified only by her first name, Susan. “They called someone to do a welfare check, and Officer Gomez showed up at my house, knocked on the door, and I answered. He walked in and just immediately made eye contact. He was very kind, [and] compassionate. I said I felt very alone. He said, ‘I’m here. You can talk to me anytime.’
After Susan’s admittance to the hospital, “[Gomez] came afterward to give me his card and said, ‘please, please contact me,’ so I did.”
Coral Springs Police Officer Sandy Gomez reunites with Susan, the woman whose life he helped save after she tried to commit suicide. {City of Coral Springs}/
“I had his card, and I was like, ‘I’m getting in touch with this man when I get up.’”
“I genuinely meant it,” said Gomez. “I said, ‘here is my card, so you can call me anytime,’ because she kept saying that she felt alone, and I’m like, ‘you’re not alone, I’m here. So you can call me anytime, any day.’ And here we are now.”
Gomez said the difference he made in Susan’s life crystallized his appreciation for the impact of police work.
“She made me see the difference that I make out there,” said Gomez. “It was extraordinarily rewarding. It makes you appreciate what you do and see that you actually make a difference in someone’s life.”
A member of the police department’s Crisis Intervention Team, Gomez and other CIT officers receive training from licensed therapists on best communicating with Coral Springs residents during mental health crises.
Police Chief Clyde Parry, who also met with Susan, told her he appreciated her advocacy and willingness to share her story.
“Many times in our profession, we go to calls, and we hope we do the right thing, and we try to do the right thing,” Parry said. “I tell all our new officers, ‘you’ll make a difference in somebody’s life. If you’re lucky, you’ll know it.’”
That, Parry said, is what happened with Gomez.
“I’m so happy that he was able to assist you, and I hope that you live a long, happy life,” Parry told Susan.
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