Katie Coomes had just delivered her baby by emergency cesarean section when severe internal bleeding left her critically ill and separated from her newborn and family. She needed to be flown to UK HealthCare for further treatment.

During that Aug. 31, 2025, flight, Air Evac Lifeteam 92 clinicians Jordan Turner and Robin "Nicky" Langdon, based in Hardinsburg, cared for Coomes as she remained in severe shock. They managed multiple medications and continued administering blood products throughout the flight.

Now, more than a year later, the two clinicians are preparing to travel to Washington, D.C., where they will be recognized Nov. 16-18 as 2026 Stars of Life by the American Ambulance Association.

For Coomes, their recognition is an opportunity to publicly thank the clinicians she credits with saving her life.

"Jordan and Nicky are more than medical professionals, and the best at that, but they truly are heroes. I am so excited for them and they deserve every ounce of this award. They saved my life that day and allowed me to return home to my two girls," she said.

During the flight, Turner and Langdon managed multiple medications and continued administering blood products while reassuring Coomes, who was separated from her family.

"They were both so calm and reassuring that I honestly had no idea how critically ill I really was," she recalled.

Coomes remembers Turner sitting behind her and checking on her throughout the flight. He also communicated with one of her sisters, offering reassurance to her family.

When her condition worsened after landing, Turner and Langdon emphasized the urgency of her condition to the receiving team and continued administering blood products until the surgical team could assume care, helping maintain her treatment through another critical transition.

Coomes spent a month in the ICU at UK HealthCare before recovering and returning home to her newborn and 8-year-old daughter.

Turner and Langdon, both trained in nursing and paramedicine, are among 167 EMS professionals selected for the American Ambulance Association's Stars of Life program, which recognizes exceptional service to patients, colleagues and communities. This year's honorees include 33 professionals from Global Medical Response, Air Evac Lifeteam's parent company.