Eagles fans bleed Eagle green, and some even dress as clowns with bright pink face paint and big funny hats. One of those fans saved another man’s life at halftime.
Dr. Vincent Basile is a South Philly native and an emergency room doctor at Einstein Medical Center. Before he arrived at Lincoln Financial Field to watch the Eagles play the Saints, Basile took part in the city’s annual Mummers Parade.
The Mummers Parade has been a Philadelphia tradition for over a century. Participants wear elaborate costumes while playing in string bands and performing skits. If you can’t picture it, Jason Kelce dressed as a Mummer for the championship parade following Super Bowl LII.
Dr. Basile decided to wear his costume to the game, face paint and all. During halftime, his girlfriend noticed a man laying on the ground. Dr. Basile ran to the help, as did Natalie Spencer, a nurse attending her first Eagles game.
It took a bit of explaining with a bright pink face, but once Dr. Basile convinced everyone that he was actually a doctor, the pair noticed the man wasn’t breathing and began performing CPR on him.
After a few minutes, the man regained consciousness and did what any Philly fan would do after being revived at an Eagles game — he asked about the score. Philadelphia was losing 13-10 at the time, but nobody had the heart to tell him. The Eagles eventually lost 20-10.
The next day, Bills safety Damar Hamlin was revived on the field after suffering cardiac arrest during “Monday Night Football.” Hamlin remains in critical condition but is showing improvement. According to Dr. Basile, the unnamed Eagles fan is also doing better.
It’s a good thing Spencer and Dr. Basile were at the game on Sunday. Football is fun and an important part of our lives, but we sometimes forget it’s not life and death. If we ever needed a reminder, this week was it.
