Former Army Medic Saves Collapsing Maine Mom After Rare ‘Pretty’ Allergy

A Maine mother is alive today thanks to a former Army medic’s quick instincts and decades of emergency training. A rare allergic reaction to a green beetle caused her to collapse during a family outing at a popular state park.

Antoinette Webb, 44, had no clue the outing would nearly turn fatal because of one small mistake. She visited Fort Knox State Historic Site with her 9-year-old twins, Ella and Jonah. That is when she noticed the striking insect on the ground.

“I just picked him up and said, ‘Whoa, you’re so pretty,’” Webb recalled. “Within seconds, I felt burning through my body.”

According to The New York Post, Webb immediately felt something was wrong. She grew uneasy and rushed uphill toward a gift shop, hoping to get help — but collapsed just moments from reaching it.

Thankfully, Dean Martin was nearby. He is the executive director of the Friends of Fort Knox. He is also a former Army medic with nearly 24 years of emergency training.

He stepped in to help Webb, instantly calling 911, monitoring her airway, and keeping her conscious as long as possible. His wife Shelly, looked after the kids, who were shaken by the reaction.

“She’s lying there, and I’m holding her hand, and I’m talking to 911, and I’m holding her. She passes out because of a constricted airway; she’s got a lack of air. She’s got blue lips,” Martin told a local outlet as he described the horrific effects of the reaction.

Dean Martin said Maine was shaking and wheezing as she went into respiratory distress before passing out three times. With only basic supplies available, Martin gave Benadryl while waiting for paramedics. He later drove Webb’s car after she was treated with four epinephrine injections.

“We gave her Benadryl. That’s the best we had. And then we waited for the ambulance crews,” he said.

Just one day after the life-threatening event, Webb recovered. The Maine mom returned to the park with her children. She wanted to personally thank Dean Martin for his quick response and heroic rescue.

“Because of you, they have their mom today,” Webb reportedly told the veteran in tears. The 44-year-old woman was “bawling” her eyes out as she praised Martin, honoring his aid and years of experience.

“I knew I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him,” she said. “I wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for them. They acted fast, they knew exactly what to do. I’m just so grateful, I’m just so grateful. If you guys come to Fort Knox, just know that you will be taken care of and your children will be taken care of.”

According to reports, Dean Martin spent 24 years in the Army as a medic. He now serves as director of Friends of Fort Knox. He said he had never seen an allergic reaction to a bug like this.

He was visibly emotional during the reunion with the mother of two. He brushed off the praise, saying anyone with the same training would have done the same. He insisted there was no hero in the story and that Webb would have done the same for him if the roles were reversed.

“If the roles were reversed, I’m sure Antoinette would’ve done the same for me,” Martin added. Webb was bitten by a six-spotted green tiger beetle (Cicindela s*xguttata). It is a North American species that may seem harmless, but not to everyone. Meanwhile, doctors described what happened as an extremely rare allergic reaction. It caused Webb to break out in hives and struggle to breathe. She also repeatedly lost consciousness.