Brewer restaurant staff save customer’s life with CPR

Staff at a Brewer restaurant saved a customer’s life Sunday after his heart stopped during brunch service.

Abigail Sprague, a 17-year-old server at Mad Kat’s Restaurant and Bar, performed CPR on a regular customer who collapsed at the restaurant.

“I was walking to one of my tables to go take their order, and I saw him fall,” Sprague said.

Staff initially thought the customer might be diabetic, but quickly realized he had stopped breathing.

“One of the gentlemen that went down to check on him said he wasn’t breathing,” said Kathleen Markwith, the owner.

Sprague, a senior at Brewer High School, is enrolled in medical assisting through the United Technologies Center in Bangor, where CPR certification is required.

She performed chest compressions for six minutes while Kat provided rescue breaths until EMTs arrived.

“No joke, for six minutes she did chest compressions on this man for six minutes,” Kat said. “Count to 15, and then I’d breathe, and then she’d count to 15, and then I’d breathe for six minutes until the EMT’s got here.”

Police advised staff to move other customers away from the scene. Staff led children through the kitchen while emergency responders worked.

According to the customer’s wife, he died three times — once at the restaurant and twice more in the ambulance. He was in surgery at the time of the report.

“I definitely don’t consider myself a hero. I consider her a hero because, you know, to do what she did,” Kat said. “She knew exactly where to go, how to push, and how long to do it, that’s a hero.”

“I kind of just did what I needed to do in hopes that he’d be okay, and I’m glad that he’s okay now,” said Sprague.