- Tom Johnson
Choose the health content that’s right for you, and get it delivered right in your inbox.
Emergency rooms tend to get very busy, very fast with patients arriving in a variety of different ways. The AdventHealth Celebration ER treats about 70,000 patients every year, more people than Orlando’s Camping World stadium holds for a college football bowl game.

Cardan Thurston, a patient transporter who doesn’t usually work in the ER, is credited with helping save a patient, after noticing blood under the man’s foot during a transport. “I instantly said to him ‘Oh, we have to go,’” Thurston said.
“At that moment, Cardan leaned the patient back into the wheelchair and rushed the patient over to the emergency room where the team stabilized [him],” said Hossein Shamskolahi, operations manager at AdventHealth Celebration.
“Patients come in through the front door, they come in through ambulances. We don't normally get transporters who bring patients here to our emergency department,” said Vedesh Kussial, an emergency department nurse manager.
AdventHealth transporters move patients around hospitals in non-emergency situations. “In patient transport we move patients from one point to the next as quickly, safely and efficiently as possible,” Shamskolahi said. They facilitate about 700 transports every day at Celebration.
The patient was discharged the following day and Thurston is credited with helping save his life. “I love that everyone that's part of our organization, clinical or non-clinical, is looking out for the wellbeing of the patient,” Kussial said.
Thurston is quick to deflect being called a hero for his quick thinking. “We all are brothers and sisters, and we can treat even strangers as our own.”
Click the video above to watch more about this story.
Recent News
The AdventHealth Board of Directors has appointed David Banks as the organization’s new president/CEO, effective immediately.
AdventHealth is excited to welcome Shalom Littrell, LCSWA, to its team at AdventHealth Medical Group Psychiatry at Medical Office Building*. Littrell is a Licensed Clinical Social Work Associate and...
Ming Wu, MD -- a family medicine doctor with AdventHealth Littleton -- talks about the ways to lessen the impact of seasonal allergies this spring.
The East Florida Division is forming strong partnerships with independent physicians, driving mutual success and improving hospital throughput.
In life, Sophie Davis touched dozens of hearts. In passing, one of her organs could possibly save thousands of lives.
To meet rising demand, support physician partners, and deliver cost-effective outpatient care, AdventHealth is investing in Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) in East Florida.
As the days get longer and the weather warms up, people are eager to get back to their favorite outdoor spring activities and sports. This transition from winter to spring often leads to an increased...
Marie Williams remembers being admitted to AdventHealth Parker on September 1, 2023, for colon resection surgery, but after that, things get hazy.
AdventHealth for Children is a nationally recognized children’s hospital and comprehensive care network caring for nearly 200,000 children annually.
Eight new physicians are joining AdventHealth Ocala’s team to take their next steps to become fully licensed, board-certified family physicians.
Care Management Assistant, Meghan Bussard, was the recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Team Member Award for AdventHealth Shawnee Mission. Bussard is known across AdventHealth Shawnee Mission as a...
As the only physician in Central Florida certified to use the intestinal ultrasound, a cutting-edge diagnostic tool still new to the U.S., Dr. Jennifer Seminerio-Diehl is transforming the way IBD is...