'Never off duty': Minnesota nurse springs to action at Home Run Derby after being honored by MLB
Minnesota nurse Jeanette Rupert jumped to help a man suffering a medical emergency while she was being honored by MLB.
(FOX 9) - At the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Denver, designated hitter Nelson Cruz and pitcher Taylor Rogers represented the Minnesota Twins. But, they weren't the only all-stars from Minnesota in the stadium.
Jeanette Rupert received a free trip to the All-Star Game after winning a national contest for her work as an ICU nurse at Methodist Hospital during the pandemic and for volunteering at 38th and Chicago following the death of George Floyd.
She was one of two local frontline healthcare workers recognized before the Twins game on Sunday, but she didn't get to see the team take the field because she was flown to Colorado for a special reception by the MLB and Fanatics. There, she got to meet Twins legend and St. Paul native Dave Winfield, who it turns out is a fan of hers.
"I was just floored. I was like, ‘What? This is not happening.’ He's like, ‘Yeah, I read all about you…I heard your story on this network and this news station.’ I was like oh my goodness, me," Rupert said.
Rupert didn't get to see much of the Home Run Derby the next day, either, because when she went to get refreshments a few minutes in, she heard someone screaming for help. She quickly sprang into action to help a man having seizures a few sections away, treating him until paramedics arrived.
"I'm never off duty," said Rupert. "I always tell my husband I'm going to come chill, relax, and enjoy the game. Nope. Never off duty."
After all that, Rupert finally got the chance to watch the All-Star Game with her husband, and she says the experience knocked it out of the park.
"I’m just so thankful people thought my story is worth telling and that I was offered this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," she said. "I'll remember it forever."