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Helping Hands For A Stopped Heart Honored

Two workers at a Bloomington auto dealership are being honored for saving a co-worker's life when his heart suddenly stopped last October.

Jordan Turner, 20, was a sales porter for the O'Brien Automotive Team prepping a Kia for delivery when he collapsed. Jeromy (Romy) Williams and Cathy Napoline administered CPR until paramedics arrived.

"I could not have been more lucky. Because 10 minutes before I was out in a field washing cars and it could have happened out there and no one would have ever known," said Turner.

Only 12 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims survive, according to the American Heart Association in 2016.

Napoline was one of the workers who administered CPR. She said she trained years ago when she was an appointment clerk at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Napoline said Rochester trained everyone.

"I think it's almost like riding a bike. I haven't used it. My certification is long expired. But it just all came to me. I knew exactly what to do," said Napoline.

Lynn Hruska, director of the American Red Cross of the Heartand, said even if people are not confident in their remembered skills, doing something is better than doing nothing.

"Often people called on to perform remember more than they think they do," said Hruska.

O'Brien President and General Manager Ryan Gremore said he's paying for CPR training for up to 135 workers across four dealerships to gain certification.

"We are committed to get 75 percent certification in CPR and use of automatic external defibrillators," said Gremore.

Gremore said he's also buying four automatic defibrillators for the dealerships.

Turner has since returned to work following the October health crisis and moved from auto prepper to a sales position. He now has an internal defibrillator installed.

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WGLT Senior Reporter Charlie Schlenker has spent more than three award-winning decades in radio. He lives in Normal with his family.
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