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A stroke of good fortune
12/17/2024
In this season of reflection and gratitude, we pause to give thanks for co-workers, friends and family. And sometimes those co-workers are our friends and family. Such is the case of Entergy’s Kristie Lowther and Rich Pierson, whose 25-year friendship means more than Christmas gifts—recently, it has meant the gift of life.
Lowther and Pierson have formed close professional ties over the past 25 years. Originally, Lowther worked for Pierson at Pilgrim Nuclear Station in Plymouth, Massachusetts, which was formerly owned by Entergy, and now Pierson works for Lowther as the employee concerns specialist at Grand Gulf Nuclear Station in Vicksburg, Miss.
“Moving halfway across the country, from Massachusetts to Jackson, and not having much family, you end up getting closer to your family at work than you do normally,” Lowther explained.
On Nov. 15, that longstanding relationship was put to a test. Lowther, senior manager for employee concerns and nuclear safety culture, vividly recalls the events of that day.
“Around 11 o'clock, I got a text message from Rich, who is my direct report. I remember that the text was kind of a weird question. And also, in his text there was an upside-down question mark which, honestly, I've never even seen in a text message.”
Lowther answered his question and added, “Do you need help with anything? Call me if so.”
“I was outside the grocery store at that point,” she recalled. “I didn't get a call from him, so I went into the store. That's when I got another text a few minutes later, and it was all jumbled up. There were a few words that caught my eyes: experience, stoke and rhythm. And he said he needed his wife home now.”
That’s when Lowther’s questioning attitude came into play. “I realized something didn’t sound right there,” she said. “Especially that one word—it said stoke.”
Lowther called her team member on the spot, and when he answered the phone, he was clearly in distress.
“I told him I would call an ambulance, but he argued with me, saying his dogs were at home and his wife was out of town. I said, ‘I will come there and take care of your dogs. I'm hanging up now and calling an ambulance.’”
From prior visits, Lowther was able to recall his address and so she summoned an ambulance. “If he didn't need it, he could turn him away,” she reasoned, “but I wasn't going to take a chance.”
Lowther then informed Pierson’s wife of the event, went to his home to check on his dogs and then headed straight to the hospital to ensure Pierson had everything he needed.
At the hospital, the doctors confirmed that Pierson had experienced not one but two strokes within a five-minute span, and that the cause of the strokes was an undetected underlying condition.
Fortunately, after the second stroke, Pierson still had that first text open, and that’s how he was able to text the second time—by swiping his thumb around the keypad and hoping his boss could understand the garbled text. And she did as soon as she read that one word: stoke.
Reflecting on Lowther’s presence of mind, Nuclear Independent Oversight Director Greg Hudnall said, “I am convinced that her keen awareness and quick actions changed the outcome for one of our co-workers. This situation serves as a reminder for why it is so important to connect with each other and pay attention to off-normal behaviors.”
Lowther later recalled how she was able to act so quickly. “I already had all of my employees’ and spouses’ phone numbers in my phone,” she said. Additionally, she pointed out that it’s important to generally know the whereabouts of her team members. “For example, Rich works a different schedule than I work,” she explained, “so I knew when he texted that he was at home and that was where I needed to send the ambulance.”
Hudnall agreed, saying, “Leaders should know emergency contacts and addresses for their team members without having to log in to locate the information. I think that’s something a lot of us might not be prepared for if something similar happened to one of our own. Kristie’s quick actions probably saved this person’s life. I am very proud of Kristie.”
(left to right) Norah Pierson, Richard Pierson (Grand Gulf Nuclear Station), Kristie Lowther (Nuclear headquarters), Mike York (Waterford 3 Steam Electric Station), Meosha Givens (River Bend Station) and Steven Tillman (Arkansas Nuclear One)
