According to a story from eminetra.com, 37 year old sarcoidosis patient Sonja Nixon Frazier sprung into action when she was working at Taco Bell. She along with two workers knew something was wrong when they noticed a car going the wrong direction through the drive thru. The male driver was found passed out at the controls of the vehicle. Frazier initiated CPR until first responders appeared.

About Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a rare disease which is characterized by the appearance of unusual aggregates of inflammatory cells. These aggregates are called granulomas. The disease can affect almost any part of the body, but it most commonly appears in the lungs, lymph nodes, and skin. Unfortunately, the precise cause of sarcoidosis remains a mystery. The prevailing theory is that it is the result of alterations to the immune response following exposure to a certain trigger, such as an infectious pathogen. Certain genetic mutations, affecting BTLN2 and possibly HLA-DR, are considered risk factors. Sarcoidosis is also associated with certain autoimmune diseases. Symptoms vary depending on the organs affected but may include weight loss, fatigue, bone pain, cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pain, skin ulcers and lumps, and skin discoloration. Symptoms are mild in most cases and many patients can control their disease with ibuprofen. Other treatments for more serious disease include steroids, glucocorticoids, antimetabolites, and immunosuppressants. To learn more about sarcoidosis, click here.

Sonja’s Story

Frazier and two other employees pulled the stricken man from the car. She attempted to check his pulse and found it very weak; the man’s fingers, ears, and lips had turned blue. Frazier and the other employees administered CPR for a total of 11 minutes before emergency services appeared.

“I don’t look at myself as a hero. This is what I was supposed to do. It doesn’t matter who he was or what skin color he had…But it really was overwhelming emotionally. After I just smoked a cigarette and cried.” – Sonja

Frazier is a mother of two children and worked for six years in home healthcare before starting at Taco Bell. She says that work has been frightening lately because her rare disease could potentially make her more vulnerable to the coronavirus. But all her fears melted away when she knew that the man’s life was in danger.