Anderson’s Mark O’Hara Supports Employee in Need

Mark O’Hara (left) and Atit Patel.

BELLEVILLE, Ill. — For Mark O’Hara, president of Elmhurst, Ill.-based Anderson Pest Control, being a good employer is not just about providing salaries and benefits — it’s about treating employees like family.

So when Atit Patel, IT business analyst for Anderson Pest Control, unexpectedly suffered a seizure on May 17, O’Hara went the extra mile for his employee in need. Patel, who is 24, suffered the seizure while in Belleville, Ill., working on a database conversion at C&D Pest & Termite Control, which was acquired by Anderson in 2005.

“It was a freak accident. The last thing I remember was talking to (Anderson Chairman and CEO) Charlie O’Hara and then I was unconscious,” Patel said. “I had never had a seizure before. The doctors still don’t know why it happened. They think I might have epilepsy, but it also could have been a one time thing – due to lack of sleep and not eating properly.”

Fortunately for Patel, both Charlie and (Anderson President) Mark O’Hara were nearby. Mark O’Hara, whose daughter has epilepsy, knew immediately how to respond. “We had to get his mouth open. When my daughter has seizures her arms would flail, but he was very rigid,” he recalls. “I got his jaw loosened a bit and put a cell phone in his mouth, but his tongue still got bitten pretty well. It was about a four- or five-minute seizure.”

Patel was rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he received further medical attention and underwent a series of tests during the next three days. “Mark followed the ambulance to the hospital and waited while I received treatment in the ER room, and he called my parents and let them know I was in good hands,” Patel said. “He was planning on returning to the (Elmhurst) office on Thursday, but he stayed until Friday. He sat and kept me company while I was in the hospital getting the tests. He really went above and beyond to take care of me.”

After recuperating from the seizure, Patel returned home (the Chicago area) where he has received additional medical care, including medication. He also has returned to work at Anderson Pest Control.