'You could save a life': Butler County woman revived by two strangers after suffering cardiac arrest

BUTLER, Pa. —

The last day of 2022 was almost the last day of Victoria Williams' life. Standing in the stationery aisle of Target with her 1-year-old daughter, her world went dark.

FRIENDS. I’M 32. I’M RAISING A LITTLE GIRL AND I AM SOBER. I’M STILL HERE TO DO THAT. VICTORIA WILLIAMS HAS MORE LIFE TO LIVE THANKS TO THE WOMEN SITTING ON EITHER SIDE OF HER. 

IT WAS NEW YEAR’S EVE 2022. SHE WAS WITH HER ONE YEAR OLD DAUGHTER SHOPPING IN THE STATIONARY AISLE OF TARGET. WHEN THINGS WENT BLACK, I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR SOMETHING AS SIGNIFICANT AS THIS AND DEFINITELY NOT AT MY AGE. DEFINITELY NOT DURING MY, YOU KNOW, TARGET STROLL WITH MY BABY. 

WILLIAMS HAD JUST GONE INTO CARDIAC ARREST. I HEARD A TARGET EMPLOYEE SAY, WE NEED AN ID, WHERE’S OUR ID? AND KNOWING AN A.D. IS A DEFIBRILLATOR, I KNEW SOMEBODY WAS IN TROUBLE. INITIALLY, I THOUGHT MAYBE SHE WAS HAVING A SEIZURE, SORT OF PULSE. WE FLIPPED HER TO HER SIDE AND THEN THAT’S WHEN LAUREN CAME OVER AND WE LOST A PULSE AND STARTED CPR. I MAINTAINED HER AIRWAY AND ALEXI DID CHEST COMPRESSIONS ON HER. AMONG THE SHOPPERS IN THE STORE WERE LAUREN BRAD AGAIN, AND ALEXI. CREDIT KOVAC. TWO NURSES WHO DID NOT HESITATE TO PERFORM CPR. MY OUTCOME WOULD HAVE BEEN SO DIFFERENT IF THESE GIRLS HADN’T BEEN WITH ME THAT DAY. THE NEXT THING WILLIAMS REMEMBERS IS WAKING UP A FEW DAYS LATER IN THE ICU AT BUTLER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, WHERE SHE ACTUALLY WORKS AS A NURSE. WILLIAMS HAD CARDIAC ISSUES DATING BACK TO HER TEENS, BUT NOTHING IN HER MEDICAL HISTORY WOULD HAVE INDICATED SHE WAS AT RISK FOR SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST. FOR ME, I GUESS I JUST KIND OF STARTED AS A NORMAL DAY THAT DAY. NOW, THE IMPETUS FOR SATURDAY’S EVENT AT BUTLER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. WILLIAMS AND HER FAMILY ARE PAYING FOR SEVERAL CPR CLASSES OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. IT’S NOT IS THAT EVER GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU? IT’S ONE. IS IT GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU? ANYBODY, ANY BYSTANDER? IF YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, IF YOU KNOW HOW TO INITIATE CPR, YOU COULD SAVE A LIFE. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE’S OUTCOME. SO TAKE THE CLASS, SIGN UP BECAUSE YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME.