Photo: boonchai wedmakawand / Moment / Getty Images
While on a shopping trip in Eugene, Oregon, Sherry and George Koskela of Waldport, decided to get a bite to eat at a nearby Olive Garden. But the couple hadn’t even gotten through the front door when George had a heart attack and collapsed on the ground. Sherry yelled for someone to call 911 and then two employees from the restaurant rushed to help.
Olive Garden hostess Kris and server Andrea, who are both trained in CPR, sprang into action. Kris started chest compressions and then Andrea offered to take over after a minute. As they worked to keep George alive, they were approached by Cyndy Meno, a CPR instructor who’d been shopping nearby.
Meno had been alerted to the emergency situation by the Pulse Point app, which is connected to 911 and instantly notifies users of local emergencies. Meno offered to take over for Kris and Andrea and continued CPR until paramedics arrived. Thanks in large part to the efforts of these three women, George Koskela lived. For Sherry, she’s certain that they’re the reason her husband is still alive. "You could tell he was gone,” Sherry says, “They were fantastic and the woman who came in after them, I can’t say enough about these people."