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the group. “But the time between when something happens and the time that they get there — if it’s not for people like yourselves, there’s nothing we can do.”

Deputy Mike Gentry, who was one of the rst on scene, said he’s performed CPR numerous times during his 13 years on patrol.

“She’s the rst one that we actually brought back,” he said.

Mitchell Kohl, a practicing attorney and a medical doctor, was walking out of a nearby courtroom when he saw the commotion.

“I got over there, took o my tie, got my sleeves rolled up and just started helping,” he said. “I will tell you, I wasn’t con dent in the outcome.”

Bennett was unresponsive, not breathing and had no pulse. Deputies used a bag valve mask to help with breathing and employed an automated external de brillator, which didn’t call for a shock. Eventually, her pulse returned. South Metro Fire Rescue paramedics gave Bennett a breathing tube and she began to move.

“Jury duty saved my life”

In Kohl’s eyes, Bennett’s attitude is one of the reasons she survived.

“ ere’s been evidence that shows having a good attitude in your recovery helps patients recover quicker and better,” he said. “And she’s a perfect example — her attitude’s infectious. And if there were more people with her attitude, the world would be a better place.” department sees about 500 cases of cardiac arrest per year. Of that, only about 10% end in full recovery like Bennett’s case did.

Bennett said she hopes her experience inspires more people to get trained in CPR, as it truly can save lives. Before it saved hers, she started the CPR training program at RTD, where she worked for almost 40 years.

One of the most important factors in being able to successfully resuscitate someone when they have cardiac arrest is early intervention.

“When somebody gets to the hospital after cardiac arrest, if they’ve had early CPR, if they’ve had early interventions, then we have something that we can work with,” Jonathan Apfelbaum, medical director for South Metro Fire Rescue, said to

“I just wish it’s the kind of thing that everyone could learn to do,” she said. “I’m very much a proponent of CPR, rst aid, and all of those types of things. And I never knew it would go full circle and come back — that one day I would need it, and I had a whole band of angels there who came to my rescue.”

While most people dread receiving a jury summons, Bennett will never look at that civic role the same way.

“People have said ‘I’ll do anything to get out of jury duty,’” she said. “Jury duty saved my life — because if I had not been at jury duty at that time, I would have been at home alone. And the outcome could have been totally di erent.”