Lincoln woman credits maintenance worker for saving her life

LINCOLN, R.I. (WLNE) – A door handle that needed batteries and a friendly maintenance worker are why 82-year-old Eva Ferri says she’s still alive.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.”

Ferri has lived at Manville Manor in Lincoln for the past 8 years and was recently diagnosed with diabetes. On the morning of December 19th, she forgot to eat after taking her insulin, and felt weak, deciding to lay down.

“And that’s all I remember till he knocked on the door and said ‘Mrs. Ferri I’m coming in to change the batteries on your door.'”

Michael Nelson, a maintenance technician at Lincoln Housing Authority, was there for the repair, but when he got inside, he said he noticed something was wrong.

“All the lights were on and she was lying in bed and she was just staring at her fingers. I just asked her, you know, ‘Do you know what day it is?’ And she responded ‘ok.'”

Nelson decided to run down the hall to get Ferri’s friend, Sharon. When Sharon entered the apartment, Ferri didn’t recognize her, and they realized then they had to call 911.

Ferri had gone into a diabetic coma and desperately needed sugar.

First responders immediately gave her a can of soda and some sugar, and soon Ferri was just fine.

“All I remember when I woke up was all the fire guys in my room,” said Ferri.

She’s grateful that Nelson went the extra mile to ask how she was, as not everyone would do that.

“I like to just greet people just to see how everyone’s doing cause you never know,” said Nelson.

First responders told her that if she had been along much longer, she would have died. She said in the future she’ll be more careful with her insulin and will alert her loved ones right away when she’s feeling off.

“I just thank Michael that he’s the one that put the thing in. Between Michael and Sharon, I love them both. I love them both!”

© WLNE-TV 2019