‘They have a chance’ Local nurse saves customer who overdosed at Palm Springs restaurant

A local nurse is sharing his story, after stepping in to help someone who had overdosed at a Palm Springs restaurant.

Andre Chambers of Palm Springs has been a registered nurse for 20 years. Before then, he was a paramedic.

“I've always had an interest in medicine. At a very early age I did," Chambers said.

He says being a part of the medical field was always a lifelong goal.

“As I got older, I decided instead of taking what life's giving me, why not hop in the driver's seat," he explained.

Chambers spent most of his time in the emergency room at Desert Regional Medical Center. Everyday, he worked with dozens of patients.

Until about two months ago, when the unthinkable happened.

“Someone grabbed me by the arm in the middle of my meal and said, we need you to help out over here. Someone's gone down in the restaurant," Chambers said.

While eating at a restaurant in Palm Springs, someone had overdosed at table near Chambers.

His instinct kicked in and he immediately jumped into action.

“The patient was turning blue. He had a pulse though, just ineffective. And someone handed me some Narcan. I gave the patient Narcan and I administered Narcan. And the patient began to breathe on his own," he recalled.

Chambers had saved someone’s life.

“It was a sigh of relief," he added. "It's just knowing that they have a chance.”

However, he did not know his own life would change.

“As I turned around to go back to my table, there was a gentleman standing behind me who introduced himself as David, who works here at Betty Ford. And he said, you know, I'm a nurse. Betty Ford is a great place to be, you should consider being here. And I said, You know what, I think I'll take you up on that.”

Chambers now works as a registered nurse at the Betty Ford Center.

He says it’s been one of his best decisions.

“It might take five or seven days to get them [patients] out of detox. But every day, they're completely different. And that's so rewarding," Chambers said.

He said he's able to spend more time with patients, build relationships and watch them grow.

"There's confusion in the eyes, and there's fear. And you see, the confusion begins to turn into clarity. And the fear begins to turn into acceptance.”

A documentary about Chambers’ life story is on the rise, after it recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The short film, Merman, focuses on his journey as queer man, an emergency nurse, leather title holder and civil rights advocate.

Chambers tell us he shared his story to help those who feel marginalized in society.

The documentary will be screened in other film festivals throughout the year. You can watch it here.