NEED TO KNOW
- Zach Porter, 27, of Cookeville, Tenn., collapsed due to cardiac arrest while at a TJ Maxx
- Mike Brown, a CPR instructor who didn’t want to go on a shopping trip with his wife but eventually did, administered first aid to Porter
- Porter survived and later reunited with Brown for a TV broadcast
A man who reluctantly accompanied his wife on a shopping trip in Tennessee is being hailed as a hero for saving the life of a 27-year-old who went into cardiac arrest.
“I didn’t want to go TJ Maxx with my wife, but I did,” Mike Brown, a CPR instructor, told CBS affiliate WTVF in a report posted on Friday, Sept. 19. “And at the last minute, I decided to go in to herd her out of there. And there he was on the ground.”
The victim, Zach Porter, of Cookeville, had collapsed at the store, the outlet reported. Porter previously underwent heart surgeries, which sparked an electrical abnormality and impacted his heart, doctors said, per the outlet. He ultimately went into sudden cardiac arrest.
Brown immediately went into action by administering first aid before paramedics arrived.
“It was just kind of surreal to be honest with you because nobody was really doing anything except trying to get his attention,” Brown told WTVF. “And so I just ran up and started doing CPR.”
Porter was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he spent 10 days in the ICU to recover. He later told WTVF he has no memory of what happened after he collapsed.
“I’m just really glad that Mike was here to help out,” Porter said. “Otherwise, I’d be in a lot worse shape than I am now.”
The two later reunited with a handshake and a hug on camera for WTVF’s broadcast
“I mean, he literally saved my brain, saved my life by just keeping my blood pumping, which is pretty great,” Porter said of Brown. “I’m super lucky and it could have happened anywhere.”
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The two men told WTVF they hope the life-saving experience will encourage people to learn CPR.
Meanwhile, Porter and his family are looking for an unknown female Good Samaritan who assisted in applying chest compressions during the emergency, so he can express his gratitude.
PEOPLE contacted Brown and TJ Maxx on Monday, Sept. 22, for comment.
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