Teri Fostvedt, wearing her scrubs, entered the employee break room at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray with a confused look on her.
Her colleagues yelled: "Surprised!"
She was in the middle of her shift as a surgery nurse when she walked in to a room filled with co-workers cheering her name.
Teri was walking side-by-side Amber Neely, a close colleague.
Recently, the pair has been running on a popular trail in Millcreek Canyon near Salt Lake City when they came face-to-face with a cougar.
As Amber explained, she stepped off the trail causing her to fall, and that when the mountain lion took a swipe puncturing Amber’s leg in two places.
Teri immediately came to her rescue, making herself big hoping to scare off the cat.
Amber then threw a rock hitting the cat right in the face, sending the cat away.
The two made their way down the trail for about a mile before meeting up with other runners who called 911.
Paramedics responded to the trailhead where the pair were taken care of.
They both believe there was some divine intervention that prevented the attack from being worse than it was.
Nurse Nuri Pujado was trained by Teri years ago.
After hearing her rescue story, nominated her for FOX13's Hometown Hero.
"Teri makes Utah a better place to live by selflessly giving herself to her patients and coworkers," Nuri wrote in her nomation letter. "She works tirelessly with a smile and a love for humanity."
Karl Tobler and Kati Tobler Bryant from Mattress Warehouse Utah joined Morgan Saxton to present Captain Paul with a $500 Visa gift card.
If you know a hero in your hometown, we want to hear from you. Nominate them on our website at fox13now.com/contests.
