New York City — The heroic EMT who sprang into action to save a suspected overdosing Knicks fan during the team’s championship ticker-tape parade received a heartfelt surprise this week: the city’s first-ever Health Commissioner’s Award for Lifesaving Action.

Simone Kelly, 24, a neuroscience student at Drew University and volunteer EMT with New Jersey’s South Orange Rescue Squad, was honored Tuesday by New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin.

Kelly thought she was invited to the Health Department’s offices in Long Island City for a routine discussion on harm reduction and addiction services. Instead, Martin surprised her with the brand-new award created specifically to recognize her “decisive action to save the life of a New Yorker.”

The touching gesture didn’t stop there. Martin also handed Kelly a personal letter of recommendation he wrote on her behalf, urging her dream medical schools to accept her. Kelly, who aspires to attend institutions like NYU, Columbia, or Tulane, said she teared up reading the commissioner’s words praising her skills as comparable to a seasoned clinician.

“It’s an honor,” Kelly told the New York Post. “This really cemented that this is larger than I even realized.”

Quick action at the parade

Kelly was perched on a city Sanitation truck watching the Knicks parade down the Canyon of Heroes on June 18 when she noticed a man in distress. She and several bystanders rushed to help. Kelly quickly recognized the signs of an opioid overdose — shallow breathing and pinpoint pupils — and administered Narcan provided by someone in the crowd.

Video of the dramatic rescue went viral, showing Kelly rubbing the man’s chest to assess responsiveness as he briefly regained consciousness and even attempted to kiss her. Thanks to her efforts and the crowd’s assistance, the man survived.

Kelly, who works about 60 hours a month as a volunteer EMT, has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, including offers to help with medical school admissions. “It’s insane. It is unfathomable. And I keep having to pinch myself,” she said.

Her quick thinking during the parade has not only saved a life but also highlighted the importance of bystander intervention and harm reduction efforts in New York City.