'I did what I had to' | Louisville car dealership employee saves life of coworker who had heart attack

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- What started as a normal workday quickly escalated to a life or death situation after an employee at Mercedes-Benz of Louisville had a heart attack.

"I kept wondering if I was really going to be witnessing somebody passing away," Ayanne Cooney, an employee at the dealership, said.

Stacey Parks has been a staple at the Jeff Wyler dealership for more than 30 years.

On July 31, Parks' shift started off like any other Monday. However, it quickly took a turn for the worse.

"I had a heart attack on the service drive," Parks said. "I probably wouldn't have made it had my coworkers not started the process here."

With Parks fading fast, Cooney immediately jumped to save her life.

"Ayanne took the shape of a general," Parks said. "She was hollering out orders. She started CPR, and she started the AED process."

"Somebody said I was giving her CPR for like six minutes," Cooney said.

Back in March 2023, Parks scheduled a first aid, AED, and CPR certification class for her coworkers. Cooney was one of eight who showed up.

"That class saved Stacey's life," Cooney said. "She's like my work mom."

As Cooney performed CPR on Parks, another employee retrieved the AED device.

"I'm so thankful," Parks said. "Had they not done that, I probably wouldn't be here."

Cooney has remained humble about her role that day.

"People would come up and be like 'what's up hero?' and I'm like, 'no, don't do that,'" Cooney said. "It just felt like I did what I had to do."

Since the life saving intervention, her special bond with Parks is stronger than ever.

"How do you thank or repay somebody for that," Parks asked. "There's nothing that my family could do for her that would ever express how huge our gratitude is."

Cooney said she's just thankful to still have her work mom by her side. Together, they're encouraging everyone to get CPR certified.

"Take the class," Parks said. "I'm sure Ayanne never dreamed in a million years she would need it, but she handled it like a pro, and you never know when you could need those skills."

After spending time in the hospital, Parks will go back to work in late September.

Both Cooney and Parks will be recognized at the Cincinnati Reds game on Saturday, Sept. 2. Parks will be on the field while Cooney will pitch the ball to Park's son, Mason.

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