City Councilwoman Jennifer Gates of Dallas, Texas, saved the life of an elderly man while dining at a restaurant last Monday. She was dining with her husband at a local restaurant when a waiter started asking restaurant patrons if anyone knew CPR; a man was choking near the back of the restaurant. Gates, a registered nurse, knew she had to help and rushed to the man’s aid. He was foaming at the mouth and had no pulse. After about three minutes of compressions, the man started to breathe again. Paramedics arrived and he was taken to a nearby hospital.
Even though she has been a nurse for over twenty years, Gates says that she has never had to use CPR before that night at the restaurant. Regardless, “It’s something you never forget,” she said. “I just did what I’ve been trained to do,” Gates says. The man’s family is and will forever grateful that Gates stepped in and knew what to do.
