A nagging injury kept Renee Fontaine from running in North Kingstown’s final cross country dual meet of the regular season on Sept. 30.
But when a Chariho High School runner had a medical emergency on the course, Fontaine ran.
The North Kingstown senior volunteers as a junior EMT with the Charlestown Fire District and knew she might be able to help when this call came in. She stayed with the Chariho runner until more help arrived, monitoring her breathing and her pulse. The Chariho student was eventually taken to the hospital via ambulance and is on the road to recovery now, according to Chariho athletic director Mike Shiels.
Fontaine was presented a bouquet of flowers by Mike Shiels and principal Craig MacKenzie later that week as a token of the Chariho community’s thanks.
“I was surprised,” Fontaine said of the flowers. “To me, it’s not really a big deal helping people. I do that all the time. I understand how they felt, but I was just surprised. I don’t mind helping others. It was very nice, but I didn’t expect anything like that.”