Dan McCue’s decision to show up a half hour early to his shift at the Best Buy store in Macedonia, Ohio, turned out to be lifechanging for a fellow employee. Actually, lifesaving is more accurate.
Dan, an asset protection specialist and retired police officer, went in early one day last month to check some emails. As he was sitting at the computer, someone burst in and said an employee had fallen and didn’t appear to be breathing.
He ran out to the main part of the store and saw Justin McGuire, an Ohio-based employee who works at stores across the market, on the floor. Justin had suffered a seizure and stopped breathing. His face was turning blue.
That’s when Dan’s police instincts took over. He tried to find a pulse but couldn’t, so he immediately started doing CPR.
“Because of my experience and training, I just acted,” Dan said. “I didn’t even think about it. It was just a reaction.”
Dan’s CPR compressions helped dislodge a piece of gum that had gotten stuck in Justin’s throat during the seizure. Justin started to breathe again, just as paramedics arrived.
Justin has made a full recovery, and Best Buy leaders on Wednesday presented Dan with an award and special blue shirt to thank him for his quick thinking for a fellow employee.
“Dan has always been there for anyone who needs it. This is clearly represented by what transpired with Justin that morning,” said Mark Zink, the store’s general manager. “The only word that even begins to fit the bill when describing Dan is ‘hero.’”
A renewed view of life
Justin doesn’t remember much from the incident, other than he didn’t feel great that morning.
“I had a cold chill come down my back while walking down an aisle, and next thing I know I woke up in a hospital bed with an IV in my arm and my wife in tears,” he said.
Justin learned that he suffered from what doctors believe was a diabetic seizure. He had a history of seizures in the past but wasn’t aware that his blood sugar was extremely high, which likely caused him to fall ill. He was in the ICU for the next day and a half.
The incident opened his eyes. He has since changed his lifestyle, taking better care of himself.
Justin couldn’t be more thankful for Dan’s quick actions.
“If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here today,” he said. “It was a godsend kind of thing. You couldn’t have asked for a better person to be there.”
Dan was just thankful he was at the right place at the right time. “Someone put me there for a reason,” he said.
Dan says his decade-plus of police experience helps him with his job.
“Knowing how to find that common ground with customers and co-workers is helpful, and also being real and human — that just helps you be a good person,” he said. “I always teach my kids to do the right thing and help someone before you help yourself.”