LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Lexington woman is heralded as a hero after saving a man’s life using CPR. Alexandria Cowherd, an aspiring nurse at Bluegrass Technical and Community College, showed up to her shift at Wendy’s last month not knowing she would bring a man who overdosed back to life.

What You Need To Know

  • Alexandria Cowherd saved a man's life while on shift at a Lexington Wendy's last month 

  • Cowherd used CPR, and the man started breathing again until first responders arrived to take him to a hospital 

  • Cowherd is a Certified Nursing Assistant that recently completed the program at Bluegrass Community & Technical College. She hopes to become a Registered Nurse soon and work in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit 

  • Bluegrass Technical Community College's nursing program achieved a 100% pass rate at its Danville campus

Cowherd is enrolled in BCTC’s nursing program. She recently finished her coursework to become a Certified Nursing Assistant.

“I knew I wanted to help people, I know I wanted to help children,” Cowherd said.

Cowherd also balances her time working at a Wendy’s in Lexington and during her shift last month, she sprang into action when a coworker pointed out a woman with a man not breathing in the parking lot.

“I was trying to walk her through how to give him CPR and after a while it just wasn’t clicking, so I was like I can do it,” Cowherd said.

Because of Cowherd’s quick action and nursing background, the man started breathing again until taken to the hospital by emergency crews.

“It was scary, I was scared because it wasn’t like how you see in the movies and stuff,” Cowherd said.

Cowherd hopes to continue her nursing education at BCTC. The college’s practical nursing and associates nursing program achieved a 100% pass rate for this last cohort at the Danville campus, according to a news release.

The laboratory where all BCTC nursing students practice is designed and set up like a hospital. It even has mannequins that can perform various functions and mimic scenarios that students can take into the real world.

“They’re sophisticated; they can cough, they have lung sounds, heart rate, bowel sounds. We can practice putting in Foley catheters, we can practice IV insertions,” said Lindsey Page, a second semester associate nursing student.

Page is one of many students doing clinical rotations at an area hospital.

“Once we check off our skills here in lab, we’re then able to do those skills under the supervision of a nurse at whatever hospital we’re doing our clinicals at,” Page said.

For Cowherd, she hopes to continue helping others.

“I’m going to try and work in the hospital and work in the NICU because I really want to help babies,” Cowherd said.

She says she hopes anybody seeing someone needing help would help.

Nursing shortages continue to plague Kentucky with the Kentucky Hospital Association reporting 5,300 openings.

Related Stories