Publix employees honored for saving colleague’s life during medical episode inside Florida store
Publix employees honored for saving coworker
Two Publix employees in Florida were honored for their quick actions that saved a colleague’s life. The incident took place on July 10 at the Publix at Park View Commons in Ocala, where 20-year-old Cole Renfro collapsed from cardiac arrest while working in the freezer.
OCALA, Fla. - Two Publix employees in Florida were honored for their quick actions that saved a colleague’s life.
The incident took place on July 10 at the Publix at Park View Commons in Ocala, where 20-year-old Cole Renfro collapsed from cardiac arrest while working in the freezer.
What began as a typical day for Renfro quickly turned into a life-threatening situation.
"He texted me back when he got to the store. ‘Love you too.’ That's the last text I got," his mother, Carrie Renfro, recalled.
Shortly after, she felt something was wrong. Renfro was found unresponsive on the floor of the freezer. His managers, recognizing the urgency, immediately sprang into action.
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"It’s 100% because the managers stepped in and did the right thing in such a short amount of time, providing CPR instantaneously and using the AED," a coworker said.
The managers administered CPR and used an AED to deliver a shock, which played a crucial role in saving Renfro's life.
"We just continued to do CPR, and then we did shock him one time with the AED machine," said one of the managers. Paramedics arrived shortly thereafter, taking over the lifesaving efforts.
"I don't consider myself an emotional person, but when you start to hear his mom talk about how close he was to not making it, it definitely brings tears to your eyes," another manager reflected.
A month later, Renfro has fully recovered and is back on his feet. During a surprise ceremony, his managers were recognized for their heroic actions with a "Gold Medal" from Publix.
"I know Drew and I are getting recognized today, but there were other people there that called 911 and gave us instructions. It was a team effort that made it happen," one of the managers humbly noted.