It's a skill Pam Perry didn't think she'd ever need, but on Jan. 14, 2008, her CPR training actually saved a life.
Virgil Throneberry and his wife, Peggy, were at the Plano Senior Center for their daily workout when he suffered a massive heart attack.
"He had been on the bike maybe two or three minutes, and in the mirror, I saw him fall off, said Peggy Throneberry said.
Someone ran to the front office to get Perry. She has years of city required CPR and AED training and was able to step in with a coworker until help arrived.
"If I remember correctly, they told us that Virgil was without a pulse for 30 minutes," his wife said. "In my opinion, without those two ladies, the paramedics would not have been a help."
Her husband doesn't have very many memories of the heart attack or the days that followed, but he knows it was a close call.
"My son and them came over, and he said, 'Daddy, you was dead,'" Virgil Throneberry said.
The Throneberry's both say if it weren't for Perry and her co-worker, their story would have a very different ending.
As part of National CPR and AED week, the American Red Cross is offering two classes for the price of one on Friday only.
For more information call 214-678-4800.
