Dunkin' Donuts employee turns lifesaver

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A Dunkin Donuts worker saved a man’s life after he went into cardiac arrest near her store.

The man was out riding his bike, training for an Ironman when he stopped and what happened next was nothing short of a miracle. It might also reaffirm your faith that there are good people in this world who are willing to step in and help save the life of someone they never met.

"This is where I died and came back to life," said 52-year-old Don Pemberton. The Mesa man has no memory of what happened at a Gilbert Dunkin Donuts a week ago Saturday.

The ironman athlete was on mile 30 of a 90 mile bike training ride. He stopped, took a picture of some fish along the canal on Ray Road and from then it's a complete blank in his mind.

"I remember coming off the canal up the road and that was it until I woke up in the hospital four days later,” he said.

Don didn't know at the time but he was in cardiac arrest. He had 85 percent blockage in an artery in his heart. They call it the widow maker because not many people come back from that.

What Don also didn't know is how he made it to this donut shop or that Hannah Bentley was working behind the counter that fateful day. The recent college grad with CPR training, rushed outside and literally saved his life.

"My guardian angel said you need to stop here and get help," Pemberton said.

And up until today Don had never met his guardian angel. Hugs, laughter and tears of joy replacing the chaos of their first encounter.

"I was inside and a customer came in and said a guy had passed out outside," Hannah Bentley said.

The Dunkin’ Donut employee saw the stranger in his biking gear and though he was simply overheated. That was until a 911 operator told her differently and that CPR was needed to keep him alive.

"She probably spent four to five minutes beating away on me and I got a couple of cracked ribs, so I know it was effective CPR,” said the grateful Pemberton.

"I'm just so glad somehow circumstances brought me here so I could help a little bit," Bentley said.

The ever so humble hero was not prepared for what was about to happen next. Pemberton presented Hannah with his medal from his 101st marathon, the L.A. Marathon. Saying there was no way to payback Hannah for her gift of life.

Friends within his running community thought that a GoFundMe account was a pretty good place to start. He also presented her a check for 3,000 dollars.

Hannah had only performed CPR once before. It was on her grandfather and sadly he didn't survive. Despite that, she still stepped in to help and now Don gets a second chance.

He hopes others will be inspired by Hannah's generous gift of life.

"I have a message: to learn CPR because you never know when it can save someone's life," Pemberton said.

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