Distribution operations supervisors Robert Gorny and George Luckey were on the job at the Buffalo, NY, Processing and Distribution Center one day last fall when Clerk Jim Pientka collapsed.
While 911 was called, Gorny and Luckey — both of whom serve on the facility’s medical emergency response team — rushed to Pientka’s aid and found that he was not breathing.
The duo performed CPR and used an automatic external defibrillator on Pientka until emergency responders arrived and took him to a hospital.
Pientka — a medical emergency response team veteran who trained other members, including Gorny and Luckey — recovered from the incident and later returned to the facility, accompanied by his wife, Kathleen, to thank everyone who was there for him in his moment of crisis.
“I never thought the lessons I provided to others might one day save my life,” he said.