North Carolina man suffered a stroke at Costco — 'well-trained' manager saved him from the jaws of death

A man, 79, drove to the Winston-Salem, NC, Costco to pick up some groceries, unaware that his little stop at the wholesale club could literally save him from a fatal situation. His child (u/snoo_53440 on Reddit) shared the unbelievable story, thanking the Costco manager who stepped in just in time to save him.

The old man had picked up a watermelon, some grill stuff, a hot dog, and soda from the shop. Everything seemed fine until he was about to leave Costco. "His right foot tripped over his left leg as it was paralyzed," his son said, describing the moment the father had a massive heart stroke. Luckily, the store manager saw his face dropping and immediately called for help. They got the man a wheelchair and called up for an ambulance. "They kept him calm until the ambulance got there," the author said. The Costco team's timely intervention literally saved the man, as the doctor confirmed that only 2 out of 10 survive that kind of stroke. "Now my dad is home with no stroke side effects, and he made some galbi on the grill last night. The well-trained Costco manager saved my dad's life," they wrote in the post, shared in July 2025.

The author, overwhelmed with the kind of efforts the store put in to save their dad, sent an email expressing heartfelt gratitude, and the seniors responded. "They are going to recognize the employees and share my email with them," the author shared. In comments, the author shared another update, confirming that they had gone to Costco, but the manager who helped their dad had gone on vacation. "They kept telling him he was having a stroke, and he kept saying, 'No, I'm not.' They were all very happy to see him, and he thanked them all for their help," the author added. A heart attack is deadly, especially when there's no immediate help.

In fact, in a study of over 2,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases attended by emergency medical services (EMS), researchers found that 22.9% who received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from bystanders before EMS came survived till they were admitted to the hospital, and 11.9% were discharged alive. However, among the patients who didn't receive bystander CPR, only 14.6% reached the hospital alive, and only 4.7% survived the lethal health crisis. This proves just how much timely intervention can increase the survival rate in such situations. Meanwhile, echoing the sentiments, u/okbiscotti1140 commented, "Awesome. Love that people are trained for emergencies. My father recently literally dropped dead in the middle of a local store and was so lucky that there were people around who were trained in what to do and saved his life. He’s now home and grumbling that they won’t let him fix the roof."

Another user who goes by u/beeerite wrote, "A girl was choking in a food court I was at this weekend. I am first aid certified, and I know the procedures for someone who is choking. I was sitting at a table over with my young kids, and I froze. Another woman, who was a nurse, darted over and saved the girl with the Heimlich maneuver and back blows, but it’s bothered me all weekend that I didn’t get up, maybe because I keep hearing her mom’s terror-stricken voice in my head. Point being, it’s one thing to know the protocols and procedures; it’s another to be able to think on your feet and act under that kind of pressure. This manager is a hero."