'We are so proud': Ellie and Sharon help customer having severe asthma attack

Well done to colleagues Sharon Kingswood and Ellie Roxbrough from our Dewsbury store for looking after a customer who had a severe asthma attack and was struggling to breathe.

The lady, who's in her late 60s and has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, was with her granddaughter and great-grandson when she suddenly felt unwell and started to gasp for air.

First aiders Sharon and Ellie rushed the the scene and immediately cordoned off the aisle and phoned for an ambulance.

Sharon, who's the store's community champion, said: "We could see that the lady was really struggling to breathe and she was getting worse.

"We lay her on the floor and got her in the recovery position, making her comfortable with cushions and blankets. We just tried to keep her conscious, chatted to her, controlled her breathing and made sure her airwaves were kept open.

"She had used her inhaler for her asthma but that hadn't worked. The family were very worried about her as it was the first time it had happened to her and we were trying to calm them too."

The 999 call handler said the lady could have a drink of water but every time they sat her up her breathing got worse.

At one point her condition worsened and her breathing got very faint, so the colleagues grabbed the store's defibrillator, but thankfully they didn't have to use it.

Ellie, who works in Click & Collect, said: "We were just trying to get her breathing under control and at point I told her to just relax to close her eyes and think that she was on a beach and not an Asda floor!"

Sharon, who's worked at the store for 20 years, said: "We were there with her for about 40 minutes until the paramedics came, but it seemed like minutes. When you are in the moment, time just flies."

Sharon said: "When we saw those paramedics you should have seen the relief on our faces. We stayed with her until they got her out of the store; we never left her side.

"We were proud of what we had done and afterwards me and Ellie had a good cuddle and patted each other on the back as we'd potentially saved someone's life."

The lady was taken to hospital, and was discharged after treatment. A week later she called into the store to let Sharon and Ellie know that she was ok and to thank them for their care.

Ellie, who's worked at the store for five years, said: "It was really nice to see her well. It was such a relief to see her okay. It was a really nice ending to something that could have been tragic."

The store's service manager Matt Akeroyd has nominated the colleagues for Asda service superstar awards.

Matt said: "I am so proud of Ellie and Sharon. When I heard about the first aid call and how long they’d spent with the lady and her family I thought this needs putting forward for a service hero award.

"The customer's family were so grateful they came back in and gave the ladies some flowers to say thank you."