Nancy Mackin wasn’t expecting her family dinner would end with her being wheeled out on a stretcher.

In fact, Sept. 4 had been a banner day for her and her niece from California who was visiting Montana for the first time.

Mackin had an early start to her day, only having a light breakfast before heading up to Big Mountain to ride the gondola with her niece.

After a full day of sightseeing, she and her husband and niece headed to a fine Whitefish restaurant and Mackin, who hadn’t eaten since breakfast and was quite hungry, enjoyed a huge, delicious dinner.

“I suddenly felt myself passing out and my world went dark,” Mackin said.

As Mackin fainted her husband began to shout “We need a doctor!”

At first no one in the packed restaurant came forward. Then one woman did and began administering aid to her.

The next thing Mackin remembers is laying on the floor and a woman’s voice sharply imploring her, “Nancy, don’t leave us!” over and over while she floated in and out of consciousness. She felt cold water and ice on her neck and realized her legs had been raised onto a chair.

“Wherever I was, and I was more ‘out’ then ‘in,’” Mackin said. “I felt happy. It was a very calm, very peaceful place. If this woman hadn’t been shouting at me, I’m not sure I wanted to leave.”

The woman whose name the family unfortunately never got was the same woman whom Mackin had met eyes with earlier across the dining room.

Later, her niece would also tell her, “The two of you had looked at one another earlier that evening.”

The woman stayed with Mackin until the ambulance arrived. At one point, another woman came up and said, “I’m a nurse. You’re doing everything you should be doing.”

Mackin was wheeled out to an ambulance where she recalled the paramedics treated her with IVs and numerous other medical procedures.

“My family and I would like to give a big thank you to the paramedics — they were so kind, compassionate and caring,” she said. “Those on the North Valley emergency room staff were also very gentle, caring and professional, but yet openly showed their concern for me.”

Mackin was treated and released that evening.

Her primary physician had described her experience as a “perfect storm” medical emergency. Because she had not eaten nor drunk enough water almost her entire busy day and then ate a very big dinner, her blood flow left her extremities and rushed to her gut to digest all that food, and her blood pressure plummeted.

Mackin is a two-time cancer survivor, having battled lymphoma in 1996 and 2007. This frightening incident reminded her that she needs to eat three times a day and stay properly hydrated to maintain her body’s equilibrium.

“I will forever remember that woman’s encouraging voice that was not allowing me to fade away. My family and I consider this amazing lady to be a true angel,” Mackin said. “Our community is full of very amazing and caring individuals!”

And how was she feeling the next day? Mackin and her niece went whitewater rafting — with her doctor’s OK, a big bottle of water and an energy bar.

Louis “John” Roberts also had a couple of short stays at North Valley Hospital recently and wrote to thank all his doctors, nurses and staff.

“Everyone was friendly, helpful, informative and bent over backwards to help and to please,” he wrote, adding, “even putting up with my weird sense of humor. Again, thank you.”

Community editor Carol Mari­no may be reached at 758-4440 or by email at community@dai­lyinterlake.com.