Angels with snow white wings are usually heard of only in stories, but a pair of angels appeared for 'real' above the clouds two weeks ago, on an Abu Dhabi-bound Air Arabia flight. When a co-passenger’s life was slipping away mid-air, two young nurses from Kerala — Abhijith Jees and Ajeesh Nelson — turned saviours at 35,000 feet.
Both were on their first international journey, heading to Abu Dhabi to join Response Plus Medical (RPM) as registered nurses. For Abhijith, hailing from Wayanad, and Ajeesh from Chengannur, it was supposed to be the start of a new career. But fate had something else in store — a life-or-death test before they even began their first day at work.
It was around 5.30am, when most passengers were asleep. Suddenly, a young man from Thrissur, Kerala, seated nearby, began struggling to breathe. Abhijith was the first to notice. He checked for a pulse — there was none. Recognizing the signs of a cardiac arrest, he immediately alerted the cabin crew and sprang into action.
Without hesitation, Abhijith and Ajeesh began performing CPR right there in the narrow aisle of the aircraft. After two rounds, a faint pulse returned — the passenger started breathing again. A fellow traveller, Dr Arif Abdul Khader, administered IV fluids to stabilize him while the nurses continued to monitor his condition until the plane landed safely in Abu Dhabi.
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By the time the flight touched down, the crisis had passed. The passenger was rushed to the airport medical facility for further treatment, and he made a full recovery. His family later expressed heartfelt gratitude to the “angels in the sky” who brought him back to life.
“It was our first flight abroad. Saving a life even before starting our new job feels like a divine blessing,” said Ajeesh, with quiet pride. Both Abhijith and Ajeesh had been staff nurses in India before joining RPM. Modest about their act, they hadn’t shared the story with many — it was a colleague, Brint Anto, who informed the company about their heroism. The company honoured them with certificates of appreciation for their bravery and presence of mind. Response Plus Holdings was founded by Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, an Indian industrialist in the UAE.