Courtney Newton rarely visits the Moraga Starbucks, but one 57-year- old man is undoubtedly grateful that she did the afternoon of Jan. 27.
As the Saint Mary's College student studied with her roommate in the coffee shop, a woman ran inside, asking if anyone knew CPR. Newton, recently recertified for CPR by the American Heart Association, responded immediately and ran to the outdoor patio.
She saw a man collapsed on the ground, bleeding from his mouth. His face had turned blue. He was unresponsive. "I yelled for one of the 15 or so people around me to call 911," Newton said, as she scanned the man's prone body and flipped him over on his back. She began compressions and using her CPR pocket mask, she administered three rounds of CPR before emergency responders from the Moraga-Orinda Fire District arrived, less than two-and-one-half minutes after dispatch. The crew took over and used a Lucas device to deliver consistent, uninterrupted chest compressions.