Pregnant woman, Navy veteran help save man’s life at Sugarloaf Mills mall

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - A married couple may have helped to save a man’s life. They launched into action after they saw a man pass out at Sugarloaf Mills mall in Lawrenceville.

Allison Gonzalez and her husband Ismael were walking at the mall back in October when they witnessed a frightening sight. "We noticed a person fall over," Gonzalez said.

It was an older man. The couple rushed over to help. "He was shaking and was kind of unconscious," Gonzalez said.

They checked his pulse. "It was really rapid," she said.

The man’s heartbeat faded. "He stopped breathing completely." Gonzalez said. "He wasn’t responding."

The two are students at Georgia Gwinnett College. Gonzalez got CPR certification there and is now an instructor. Ismael was trained in life-saving techniques in the Navy. "At the moment, I just kicked into old training," Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez, who’s in her first trimester of pregnancy, put aside all other concerns and got to work. "I immediately started to do the chest compressions," she said.

A retired doctor happened to pass by. He used a defibrillator at the mall to get the man’s heart going. The doctor and the couple took turns doing compressions. "I was thinking do not stop this is a matter of minutes," Gonzalez said. "It was very nerve-wracking."

Moments seemed like an eternity. "At the time, there was no heartbeat and from there, I needed to get the heartbeat going," Gonzalez said.

They kept working to help a complete stranger. "I thought, okay, if it was me, I would want somebody to help," Gonzalez said.

The team of good Samaritans kept that man alive until paramedics arrived and rushed him to the hospital. "I did feel a very light pulse," Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez says she’s no hero. "I just see myself as a regular person," she said.

All students at Georgia Gwinnett College must take CPR training. The couple hopes the man they helped, or his family, will reach out to let them know how he’s doing.