Mum thanks quick-thinking Asda colleagues for getting daughter to hospital for emergency op

Quick-thinking Asda colleagues Ela Gawlik-Nazaruk and Rachel Buhler have been praised for potentially saving a customer's life after she fell ill in our Aberdeen Beach store.

When a mum asked if she could call a taxi for her daughter because she felt unwell, Ela and Rachel realised the urgency of the situation and called an ambulance instead as she appeared to need medical help. They then decided not to wait but to drive the lady, aged in her 20s, and her mum to hospital instead.

A week later the mum came into the store to thank Ela and Rachel and let them know her daughter was recovering well from emergency surgery.

Front end service section leader Ela said: "The way I see it, it could be your daughter or your mum in that position, and I trust that anyone else would do the same thing for them. I have my own daughter, so I know how worried the mum was about her child feeling so awful at the time.

"The doctors said if they hadn’t got to the hospital so fast, there could have been fatal consequences for the daughter – we’re just so glad to hear she is recovering now."

Customer service colleague Rachel said: "We had all been wondering how the customer was after we left them, so we were delighted to hear everything was okay. Ela and I both agree we did what we think anyone would have done in that situation, so we don’t see it as anything out of the ordinary. It was really nice to see how grateful they were, and we’re glad we were able to help out in their time of need."

Store manager David Byars said: "I’m really proud of what Ela and Rachel did, and how quickly they sprang into action. Not everyone in the world would make that decision to react so quickly and urgently. Thanks for being so brave."

We're celebrating some of the amazing colleagues like Ela and Rachel who make a real difference to our customers, communities and each other every day at our Proud To Be Asda Awards. Nominations are open to the public and Asda colleagues here: https://bit.ly/3iSEsDZ