An Asda employee, Lauren Watt, has been praised for the level of customer care, after she saved a customer’s life.
Lisa Colborne, who was shopping in the store, had collapsed after suffering a brain aneurysm.
Lauren carried out CPR on the customer for 15 minutes while waiting for the ambulance, which then took Lisa to the Western General Hospital for an emergency operation.
Lisa commented on what happened: “What Lauren did for me that day was simply amazing. She definitely saved my life and I can’t thank her enough.”
“She kept me alive. She had to give me CPR for about 15 minutes, so it was quite a long time. I did end up with a broken rib, so that just shows how long she was doing it for. I am so grateful for Lauren being there and helping me.”
Asda Tranent colleague Lauren said:”I was due to finish my shift when I got called to the incident. Lisa was unconscious on the ground and not moving, but knowing I was first aid trained, my colleague Brodie passed the phone to me and I followed the instructions of the 999 operator.”
“We put the defibrillator pads on Lisa to monitor her and I began CPR and did so until the paramedics arrived. They then instructed me to keep going while they got their equipment ready for her.”
“I had the phone to my shoulder all the time I was doing the compressions – the operator kept me really calm and was counting with me.”
“The paramedics said if that if I hadn’t kept Lisa’s bloods flowing by administering CPR she would no longer be with us. I’m just so happy that I’ve helped her stay to with her family.”
“It’s a really proud feeling that Lisa’s here today because of what I did. Knowing now that she is okay is such an incredible feeling!”
Store manager Peter McAloon, Tranent Store Manager, commended Lauren for her heroic act: “The whole store is so proud of Lauren. She shows a lot of compassion and empathy in everything she does in the store, to both customers and colleagues. She is very caring and responsible – just the complete package for what we are looking for in an Asda colleague.
“I only heard about the incident second hand because Lauren is so humble. She wasn’t shouting from the rooftops that she’d saved someone’s life – which speaks volumes about her as a person. Saving someone’s life is not something you do every day. We are so proud of her.”
After the incident, Lisa was in hospital for two weeks and is now recovering at home.
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