Honorees

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Year Honored
2005
Honoree
Lisa M Ortega-Landers
Agency
Access Air Ambulance
Agency City
Elko
Agency State
NV
Last Call
8/21/04
Cause of Death
Medical Aviation Accident
Biography
Great deeds often come with great risks. Every time these men and women climb aboard the rescue helicopter and take to the skies, they take a chance. Highly trained and with professional caring they are a dedicated group. They are the pilots, nurses, and paramedics that make up flight teams. Their legacy is enormous.<br /> <br /> Lisa Marie Ortega-Landers, 35, lost her life in the line of duty on August 21, 2004. She was the flight nurse and part of a flight team involved in the transporting of an 11-day-old infant and her mother to Washoe Medical Center in Reno, Nevada. When tragedy struck, and with all contact lost, the helicopter search teams were immediately sent. The grizzly wreckage was discovered on the upper portion of the mountainous terrain of Mount Tobin, located about 25 miles southwest of Battle Mountain in Nevada. There were no survivors.<br /> <br /> Lisa was a registered nurse and had received her Critical Care Nurse certification in 2003. She worked both at the Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital in the emergency room and for Access Air Ambulance as a flight nurse. She loved her work as a flight nurse, telling friends that she was as satisfied as could be; she at times felt guilty for being so pleased with her job.<br /> <br /> Lisa had always given of herself to help others. She once delivered a baby in an emergency; all ending well. Lisa stated that this was the start of wanting to do more in the line of emergency calls, and this delivery had been the highlight as well as a guiding force in her life.<br /> <br /> Honored 2005