NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio — The pharmacist who saved a woman’s life inside a North Olmsted Discount Drug Mart last year was honored Monday for his heroic actions.
Janet Coleman is a regular at the store and was doing some shopping on May 18. Then, something went wrong.
“It was bizarre. I just came in to pick up a couple of things and I went to bend down to check the expiration date on a loaf of bread. And that's all I remember.”
Coleman collapsed, her heart stopped beating, she wasn’t breathing, and she was turning blue. Matt Kirby was working in the pharmacy when another worker called him over and he immediately started CPR, which all of Discount Drug Mart’s pharmacists are required to be certified in.
“Never even got around to the breaths. On compression 22 she came back and ended up being okay,” said Kirby.
Coleman said a combination of medications she was taking caused her health emergency just two weeks before her 50th wedding anniversary. Once she got out of the hospital, all she could think about was thanking Kirby which she and her family did in a big way.
“They have adopted me into their family. I got to attend the 50th wedding anniversary dinner,” said Kirby.
Monday, Kirby received another big honor–a Lifesaving Award for Professional Responders certificate from the American Red Cross.
“I mean, I'm grateful. Don't get me wrong. But really, like I said, the reward was that she's okay. I mean, it's something I would hope any of us would do. But I'm glad that I was there and able to basically save her life,” said Kirby.
While Coleman appreciates his humility, in her eyes, this is a fitting recognition for her hero.
“You don't have good stories, happy stories with a happy ending. And that's what I wanted to do was recognize Matt for what he did for me,” said Coleman.
Discount Drug Mart said they’re considering requiring CPR training for all of their employees now, not just pharmacists.
The American Red Cross offers classes for certification, click here to find one near you.
Jade Jarvis is a reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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