Sequim woman uses CPR training to save man outside Walmart

Even Shawnta Henry, 25, surprised herself when she stepped in to help save a man’s life in late February.

The games room assistant and Jill-of-all-trades at the Sequim Boys & Girls Club was going to Walmart with her younger sister Jasmine Kirchan and their mom Nicole Kirchan on Feb. 26 after work; they all work at the club. Outside, they saw coworker Cory Eksteen waving them down.

“She asked if we had NARCAN, and we didn’t and she was on the phone with 911, and I was watching (a family member) try to do CPR,” Henry said.

“She wasn’t doing it long enough and out of nowhere in my head I decided to tell her I had CPR training and if she wanted I could take over and do it.

“I had his (family member) do the breaths for me because he had blood running out of his nose, so I didn’t want to take a chance of me catching anything.”

Henry continued compressions for about 15 minutes before an ambulance arrived.

As the man was loaded into the ambulance, she heard from officials that he had a heartbeat but she didn’t receive a follow up on his status until last week. Clallam County Fire District 3 staff revealed the man was treated at Olympic Medical Center’s emergency room for a few hours and then discharged.

Battalion Chief Chris Turner said CPR helps bridge the gap for a patient between a cardiac event and death.