It was a case of “the right place at the right time” on a Saturday night last month at Mohegan Sun, when an Backus Hospital nurse saved a Massachusetts woman’s life.

Cindy Edwards, regional supervisor for employee health for Hartford HealthCare’s east region, was at the casino prior to a Blake Shelton concert she won tickets for, when she and her husband noticed a woman experiencing a medical emergency.

Sandra Swenor, who was also at Mohegan for the concert, was feeling lightheaded and dizzy when she began having a seizure. Edwards jumped into action and helped Swenor to the ground, then checked for vitals.

“I was waiting for her to take that first breath and come out of the seizure, but she didn’t,” said Edwards.

Edwards began performing CPR chest compressions with the help of another nurse who stopped to assist her. Within a few minutes, Swenor began breathing again and her pulse returned.

EMS arrived shortly after, and she was transported to the Backus emergency room for further evaluation.

“I wouldn’t be alive right now if it wasn’t for (Edwards) and the other nurse,” Swenor said.

Unable to shake the memory of what transpired at the casino, Edwards needed to know what happened to the stranger she helped. Three days later, she was reunited with Swenor in an emotional meeting at Backus Hospital before she was transitioned back home.

In Swenor’s eyes, Edwards is a hero; but for Edwards, it’s all part of her calling.

“It is instinct as a nurse to do everything you can to save a life,” she said. “God puts us on a path for a purpose.”