GLENDALE, AZ — A Valley nurse is being hailed a hero after saving a woman who went into cardiac arrest at a Walmart in Glendale.
Nannette Hicks tells ABC15 Mornings Anchor Kaley O'Kelley that she thought it was just a typical stop at the store.
"I had a meeting that morning. I went to lunch. I got my nails done, and thought, 'oh, let me just stop off at Walmart and pick up this water bottle.' I needed it the next day for church. That's the last thing I remember," said Hicks.
"I never felt faint. I never felt sick, and I never felt pain," she added.
"Have you had heart trouble in the past?" asked O'Kelley.
"I was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat earlier in the spring (last year), but it wasn't anything that the doctor was concerned about," Hicks replied.
Thankfully, Pamela Paduano, an ICU nurse at Banner Thunderbird was shopping that day, too.
"We're heading toward the kitchen appliances and stuff. And I see a group of people gathered. I immediately didn't even think. I just said, 'I'm a nurse, I can help,' and I told people to stand back so I could assess her," said Paduano.
Wasting no time, Paduano, who's been a nurse for nearly 15 years, set up a triage with the help of concerned shoppers and Walmart employees.
"She was beginning to turn blue and her breathing, the best way to describe it, is like a fish out of water," said Paduano.
While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, Paduano says the group worked together administering two rounds of CPR.
"There was divine intervention for sure," added Paduano.
The American Heart Association reports CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a heart attack victim's chance of survival.
Considering all circumstances, Hicks tells ABC15 she feels lucky.
"I could have went straight home and I would have been home by myself. It could've been on the highway, too. So, the timing was perfect," said Hicks.
Not knowing where paramedics would take her, Paduano says she couldn't stop wondering if Hicks was okay. Days later, when she went back to work at the hospital, that's when she says she experienced something she calls another divine meeting when walking into one of the hospital rooms.
"I just walked in the room, and I am like, she looks familiar. She looks familiar!" said Paduano.
"As soon as I saw her face, I knew it was her," added Hicks, while fighting tears.
A life-long bond now shared between two women who were complete strangers only a few short weeks ago.
"How does it feel to look at the person who saved your life?" O'Kelley asked.
"I'm full," Hicks replied.
"I'm just so happy I was there," said Paduano.
"Thank you," Hicks added.
Paduano says this story should be an important reminder for all of us.
"Get your heart evaluated. Get screened. Go to the doctor, And I know for women especially, we don't take those symptoms too seriously," Paduano said.
She also encourages everyone to learn CPR.
