On the way home from her doctor’s office after undergoing a medical procedure, Judy Cruse stopped in at the Best Buy store in Dublin, Ohio, to shop for a camera tripod.
Suddenly, she felt dizzy and weak. Associates guided her into a comfortable chair and summoned Asset Protection Specialist Don Klein for help.
“She was fanning herself and out of breath,” Don said. “Being in warehouse management in my past career and in sports my entire life, there were certain things I knew to watch for.”
Don helped her calm down and sensed that it didn’t require a call to 911. He assured Judy she was safe, told her that he and the store team would take care of her, and even relayed her condition over the phone to her husband.
Then, Judy called her doctor, who urged her to return to the clinic. Don drove her there. As they arrived at the doctor’s office, Don and Judy were greeted by staff who took her inside.
“I would do it again tomorrow, and I don’t need to receive any recognition,” he said.
‘Guardian angel that day’
The fact that Don was able to help Judy is a story itself. Don is a two-time stroke survivor who endured a year of rehabilitation just to regain his ability to speak.
He joined Best Buy a few years ago on the encouragement of his family. Don’s daughter, her fiancé and Don’s son all are Best Buy employees. They knew Don’s love for people would make him a great fit and help him re-enter the workforce.
They were right. Every day, Don greets customers as they come and go — which was just what he needed as he recovered, and he still loves it today.
“Best Buy picked me back up and got me back to normal,” Don said. “I would have never chosen my old career 30 years ago if I’d known what retail was like. I thank heavens that I took this job, because, without Best Buy, I don’t know where I’d be at with my ability to talk and interact with people.”
Today, Judy is doing much better, and she says she’s grateful Don stepped up to help when she needed it.
“He was my guardian angel that day,” she said. “Thank you, Don. I hope Best Buy knows how important you are to their company and how important you are to the customers as well. You are the employee that will keep me coming back time after time.”