Barista Natasha Stapp takes pride in serving the perfect coffee - exactly as each customer wants - to put a smile on their face.
"One of the things that I love the most is being able to change somebody's day," Stapp said.
One busy afternoon, she changed more than somebody's day.
"I was making drinks and some lady comes running into the lobby yelling, 'What's your guy's address? There's a man down on the sidewalk.' I passed it off to my other supervisor who's on the floor and I told him to go outside and deal with the situation. We didn't know what was going on. He comes running inside asking if anybody knew how to perform CPR," Stapp explained while getting emotional.
To her surprise, no one in the full lobby stepped forward, so she did.
Natasha started compressions right there on the sidewalk, recalling what she learned in high school while also following the directions of the 9-1-1 operator on speaker.
It's a good thing she did. Chris Smith was that stranger on the sidewalk. He suffered what is nicknamed a Widow Maker. It is a heart problem so deadly, only about five percent survive.
Natasha and Chris are strangers no more. Instead, the two are friends for life.
"The details seem kind of homely, but my wife and I were able to celebrate a 52nd wedding anniversary and I watched two of our grandkids graduate. None of that would have happened if Natasha wouldn't have been there. Without her CPR work, there wouldn't have been anything for the paramedics to revive," said Smith.
"If somebody needs help, step in and help. I have provided somebody else the opportunity to have more memories and to continue to live the life that they deserve," Stapp said.
Story provided by American Red Cross.
