Galen Student Honored for Saving Hobby Lobby Employee 

Andrea Grant, a BSN student at Galen College of Nursing in Austin, Texas and nurse at HCA Healthcare’s St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, is being hailed as a hero after her quick thinking and lifesaving action helped save a woman’s life in a Texas Hobby Lobby. What began as a routine outing turned into a high-stakes medical emergency when Grant sprang into action, using her training and experience to perform CPR on an unresponsive employee—ultimately helping to restore the woman’s life.

Grant says she was browsing the aisles with her daughter when she heard a ‘Code Red’ alert go out over the store’s intercom system. Moments later, she discovered a Hobby Lobby associate had collapsed and was lying unresponsive on the ground.

“She did not respond to her name, a sternal rub, or even a shake—she just laid there, eyes wide open and fixed,” said Grant. “She was exhibiting agonal respirations, her pupils were fixed and dilated, and she had no palpable pulse.”

Grant says even with her background as an EMS and more than five years working in a hospital, being thrown into that kind of situation outside of a medical setting was something else entirely.

“I paused, scanning her and trying to process what I was seeing. I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to hurt her. I didn’t want to do CPR. I’ve done compressions in controlled settings before, but this was different. It felt raw, terrifying, and deeply personal, and yet—something else took over. It was instinct, training, maybe divine intervention, but suddenly, I was on my knees, doing what I knew had to be done.”

Grant says she could feel the victim’s ribs cracking beneath her hands and that alone was overwhelming. She says she continued with CPR for more than five minutes, which felt like an eternity. Fortunately, another bystander named Aubrey Marquette showed up to relieve her until an EMS crew arrived. Those emergency responders administered three shocks with a defibrillator before achieving spontaneous circulation. The patient was intubated and flown by helicopter from the Hobby Lobby parking lot to St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, the very hospital where Andrea Grant works as a nurse.

“Against all odds, she (the patient) was extubated less than 24 hours later—fully awake, alert, and with zero neurological deficits,” said Grant. “She was discharged one week later.”

Grant says she was told statistically that only 9% of people survive out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with return of spontaneous circulation—and of those, just 1–3% recover without cognitive impairment. Doctors called the patient’s recovery a miracle and credited early, effective CPR for preserving her brain function.

Grant credits her years as an EMT for giving her the skills to make a difference, but she says her time at Galen College of Nursing also played a big part in the rescue.

“My time at Galen has been incredibly impactful. The program has challenged me in the best ways and helped me build a solid foundation in both knowledge and clinical experience,” said Grant. “While nothing can fully prepare you for having to perform CPR in a public place, the training I’ve received at Galen, combined with my previous EMS and hospital experience, helped me stay focused and act quickly when it mattered most. It reminded me why I chose this path—to be ready when someone else needs help the most.”

Since the exciting events of April 8th, Andrea Grant and Aubrey Marquette have received several special honors. They were presented with a Lifesaver Award at the 27th Annual Bastrop County First Responders Luncheon, as well as a letter from Texas Senator Ted Cruz, commending them for their efforts. They will also be honored at an upcoming Bastrop City Council meeting, where they will receive another Lifesaving Award presented by the woman they saved.

Grant says she had never met Aubrey Marquette before, but it turns out they are connected in a roundabout way.

“One of my old EMS and CPR instructors reached out to me the night of the incident and asked if I had performed CPR on a woman at Hobby Lobby. It turned out, Aubrey was his wife and had learned CPR skills from helping her husband in his classes.”

Grant says in her mind, it was just another reminder of the importance of CPR education.

“I didn’t feel like a hero at that moment—I felt scared and unsure,” said Grant. “We did what we could, and that made all the difference. I hope that sharing this experience encourages others to become CPR certified and advocate for AEDs.”

Galen College of Nursing would like to commend Andrea Grant on a job well-done!