NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) — Robert Beer is a merchandise manager at the Sam's Club in Niagara Falls. He has worked there for nine years, but January 5 will certainly be a shift he never forgets.
"I was helping an associate in the break room with training when I got a call over the radio for 'Code White,' which is a medical issue," explained Beer.
An 81-year-old customer had gone into cardiac arrest.
"I saw a man passed out on the ground with a woman already starting the pre-steps of CPR," explained Beer, who ran over to the man.
Beer is an 18-year Army veteran. From 1997 to 2015, he was deployed several times, including to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Using his training, Beer told a coworker to grab an AED, and seconds later, the machine shocked the 81-year-old man.
A woman, whom Beer said he is still trying to get in touch with, continued CPR. Beer checked for a pulse and raised the man's feet.
When the woman doing CPR got tired, Beer took over until the fire department got there and took over. Beer said the man regained a pulse.
"By time they got him on a gurney and got him out, he was actually awake and talking to his wife," Beer explained. "It was amazing."
At Saturday's Buffalo Bandits game, Beer will be awarded the Heartsaver Hero Award by the American Heart Association, but he said there's someone else who deserves credit.
"We're missing somebody," said Beer. "The woman who started CPR needs to be there, and I've tried tracking her down. She didn’t give her name. She just helped, and the second I took over CPR, she was gone."
Beer said he and the family of the man they saved are trying to track down the woman who started CPR. If you know the woman, he urges you to contact the store.
"There's people wanting to thank you," Beer said in a message to the woman.
"I have a lot of pride in what I did," explained Beer. "At the same time, I don’t want to get acknowledged for it. I'm doing it to get the message out there."
"He's amazing," said Denise Beer, Robert's wife. "He's my hero."
The American Heart Association will be providing free hands-only CPR demos at Saturday's Bandits game. Beer stressed how important it is to be trained, as you never know when you'll need to save someone's life.
"Luckily, we just went through AED training in December for Sam's Cub," said Beer. "Luckily, all managers are certified for CPR and AED."
The man celebrated his 82nd birthday the day after his medical emergency. Since then, Beer has spoken to the man's son, who is a CPR instructor. The man is expected to join Beer at the Bandits game. It will be the first time the two see each other since that day.
CLICK HERE for life-saving information from the American Heart Association.
