SEASIDE, Calif.- A rountine trip to Home Depot, turned into a life saving effort for one Central Coast woman.
The man next to her had a heart attack, and she stepped up to help, making her one of this year's Red Cross heroes.
"I watched him as he just completely crumpled and fell to the floor," said Verna Gertz.
Verna Gertz never knew a routine trip to Home Depot for her feng shui business last year, would end with her saving a life.
"The sound of his head hitting the concrete floor was like a shoebox hitting the floor I just thought dear god this guys going to have some problems," said Gertz.
Without a second thought, Verna got down on her knees in that aisle and started to help
"I checked for a pulse, checked for breathing, didn't see anything, his eyes were rolled back in his head."
Verna was worried the arthritis in her hands wouldn't cooperate with CPR, not to mention she hadn't done CPR since her daughter's girl scout troop went to Red Cross training 40 years ago!
"I have to work until better help comes...That was my main focus right there...I started working on him and every once in awhile, I slappin' him around like 'come on you gotta get back in here theres too many people counting on you.'"
"She's a true hero," said Seaside firefighters Rick Meyer and Johnny Fanene, who responded to the call and took over for Verna.
"It's rare that you find someone from the public that performs CPR."
To give you an idea less that 8% of the people these guys resesitate actually make it and only 3% of the people bystanders, like Verna resesitate live.
Firfighters say Verna was the reason the man lived. Even though she's never met him, she still gets emotional about that day.
"Yes, life is really important to me...I really felt in my heart that that man wasn't supposed to go right then. I would like to meet him," said Gertz.
So we tracked him down.
The victim didn't want to be identified, but he and Verna talked for over an hour at the Starbucks next door to the Home Depot where everything happened.
As far as Verna's concerned, this meeting is the only honor she cared about.
"There are a lot of unsung heroes out there, a lot of people that step forward...I'm a little embarrassed, that such a hoopla's been made," said Gertz.
On Saturday, May 19th, Verna, along with several other Central Coast heroes will be honored.
It's the 2012 Red Cross heroes dinner. Its at 6pm at the Hyatt Regency Monterey.
