September 2021 Employee of the Month: Pharmacy employee was just what the doctor ordered for man in distress

Last month, Navarro Pharmacies employee Gabriela Suito happened to be walking near her store between concourses H and J when she saw a group of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees trying to help a fellow TSA officer who was in some type of medical distress. Gabriela quickly took it upon herself to bring the struggling TSA officer a water bottle, a blood pressure machine, and something to fan him with from the pharmacy. She then took the officer’s blood pressure and relayed this information to the 911 operator while the TSA supervisors were on the phone with them. She stayed with the group until Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived and went to get him another water bottle as requested by the paramedics.

TSA Manager Marlene Diaz later went to Navarro to pay Gabriela for the water bottles and to thank her for all she had done, but Gabriela refused to accept the money and said it was her pleasure to help. Gabriela told Diaz that she was happy to use some of her medical training to assist and that she knew many of the TSA officers who came into the store regularly and had built a strong rapport with all of them.

“She was the hero today, the very definition of humanity and compassion. Thank you, Gabriela!” said Diaz.

Because of Gabriela’s efforts, she was named MIA’s September 2021 Employee of the Month and is now eligible for the airport’s Employee of the Year award.