An Eagan, Minn., woman is home recovering from cardiac arrest thanks to the quick thinking of Life Time Fitness staff and a stranger working out nearby.
"She was walking on the treadmill and all of a sudden, she collapsed," said Van Truong, daughter of Thuong Nguyen, told Minneapolis CBS affiliate WCCO.
The person working out next to Nguyen just happened to be a surgeon.
"Somehow an angel or somebody asked this doctor to wake up that day and was like, 'You're going to be at Life Time, and you're going to stand next to my mom and work out and she's going to collapse and you're going to save her,'" Truong said. "It's definitely a miracle, that's for sure."
While in the hospital, doctors discovered a genetic heart condition in Nguyen that her children can now get tested for.
Most of the staff at Life Time is CPR-certified and some have further medical training, so a number of employees were able to jump in to help with CPR and using the gym's automated external defibrillator.
"All that was going through my mind was we need to save this woman," said Cori Benson, a Life Time employee.
Another employee who helped, Colter Porter, added, "It's a good feeling to help save someone."
From AB: How to Achieve Emergency Preparedness in the Fitness Setting
Another daughter, Kimberly Caron, said of her mother, "She's just looking forward to being able to get her strength back to cook again, to hold her grandbabies."
According to Van Truong, the surgeon doesn't want his name shared publicly, but she said he's willing to stop by and check up on Thuong
"He doesn't necessarily want his name shared publicly, but he's willing to stop by and check up on her," Truong said. "He wants to stop by and meet us."
"I feel very blessed that something that could've turned out much more poorly has turned out the way it has, so I'm very grateful I was there," he told WCCO.
The surgeon also urges people to be aware of where AEDs are located. He says they're "idiot-proof" to use and can be the difference between life and death in an emergency.
