Sharon Patton and her husband Gary were enjoying a night out at a restaurant in Weatherford, Texas, when things took an unexpected turn for the worse.
Their bartender at Downtown Cantina, Nicholas Murray, noticed Sharon anxiously trying to get his attention. When he reached them at the end of the counter, he realized something was very wrong with her husband.
“His wife checked for a pulse and he didn’t have a pulse,” Nicholas said. “So we figured his heart stopped. Next thing we know he’s not breathing.”
At that point, Nicholas jumped into action, hoping to save the complete stranger’s life. Despite the risk of catching COVID-19, he called for help while someone started doing chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breathing to keep Gary alive. By the time Gary was rushed to the hospital, Nicholas said, “We didn’t know if he was alive or not, because from our standpoint, it did not look like it was going to be a good outcome.”
He had no idea what happened to the couple until his general manager let him know Gary was doing just fine. Then, five days later, Sharon and Gary showed up at the restaurant looking like nothing had happened!
After Gary was in the clear, Sharon sent a note to the restaurant, which they posted on Facebook. It read, “My husband, myself, and our entire community of family and friends would like to extend our immeasurable gratitude to everyone who were witnesses to my husband’s acute cardiac event.
To the bartender who first heard my call for help, helped lower my husband to the floor, and called 911. To the kind gentleman in the green hoodie and beard, thank you for supporting Gary on the floor and praying with me in the parking lot. To the woman with the pretty purple fingernails, your willingness to cycle CPR for my husband will never be forgotten! You gave me a moment to breathe and center! To the young man who performed rescue breaths, in this time of COVID, there is no way to say thank you. (Gary is tested every 10 days and is negative!) My husband and I are both veteran nurses but to say we were unprepared for such an event is an understatement! Gary did, in fact, have a heart attack. He received a shiny stent in his heart and is home recovering! We wish we could thank everyone who aided in any way personally!
And Sharon wasn’t the only one who thanked Nicholas for his tremendous efforts. The City of Weatherford said Gary is alive today thanks to Nicholas’ “quick thinking,” and he even received recognition from the mayor!
Like any good hero, Nicholas has remained humble in the spotlight. He said, “There’s a lot of people who did a lot of things that day, so we’re a community of heroes.” What a lucky community!
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