Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews came in clutch for one Southwest Airlines passenger, assisting several people in saving the woman’s life.
Andrews, 28, sprang into action mid-flight on Thursday after noticing her experiencing a “genuinely scary” medical emergency during his morning trip from Baltimore to Phoenix.
“The doctor and nurse attending to her couldn’t find a strong pulse, her blood pressure was extremely low, and required oxygen to breathe. It was genuinely scary,” fellow passenger Andrew Springs recalled in a series of tweets on X. “A man in the aisle seat popped up, ‘Could it be her blood sugar? I have a diabetic testing kit.’ It was Ravens TE Mark Andrews.”
Southwest told PEOPLE that the Feb. 1 incident occurred on Flight 485. The Ravens confirmed Andrews’ involvement in the incident, releasing a statement from him that emphasized everyone’s life-saving efforts.
“In addition to the fast-acting flight attendants, the real heroes are the nurse and doctor who also happened to be on the plane,” Andrews said in the statement. “Thankfully they were able to provide the woman the quick assistance she needed.”
Springs, a lifelong Ravens fan who was returning to Arizona to get to his Scottsdale home, said he immediately recognized Andrews.
“I’m sure Mark didn’t want his spot blown up by this, knowing him,” Springs told PEOPLE. “That said, sometimes unsung heroes deserve to have their stories told. He exhibited the kind of quiet strength and quick action that you’d expect from him. He didn’t need to be on camera or be recognized, he simply wanted to help someone because he could.”
Springs went on to note that the woman’s heart rate stabilized thanks to Andrews’ diabetic test kit, and described the post-emergency atmosphere.
“Paramedics met the flight as soon as we landed. Andrews deplaned quietly. No fanfare,” Springs wrote. “As he has done his whole career, he stepped up in a huge moment when people needed him most.”
Just a few days earlier, Andrews played in the AFC Championship game with the Ravens in Baltimore, falling short of making it to the Super Bowl in a 17-10 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Southwest Airlines thanked everyone onboard who helped the woman: “Because of Customer privacy policies we are not able to share additional details, though as always, we are appreciative of the efforts of our crew, medical personnel and fellow Customers who assist others during these inflight situations.”