A nan-of-four from Cliftonville has thanked 02 and security staff at Westwood Cross after they came to her aid when she fell ill.
Sharon Mullen, 73, was shopping in Debenhams when her blood pressure dropped to a critically low 34. The great-nan managed to get outside and onto a bench but was too sick to move any further.
Despite being bent over with sweat streaming from her, no-one stopped to ask if Sharon was ok.
Eventually she managed to stop a woman and ask her to help her over to the 02 shop.
‘Collapsed’
The former teaching support worker said: “Perspiration was running off me like a river and I was partly collapsed on the seat, unable to move.
“I had been in the 02 shop with my daughter that morning so thought maybe I could get them to phone her. I stopped a lady and asked her to help me to the shop.
“I just didn’t know where else to go for help.”
When Sharon got to the shop staff immediately took action.
Sharon said: “Steve, I think he was the manager, put me in a comfy chair with a back on it and went to get me a glass of water.
“I asked him to phone my daughter and he also called the ambulance. Carole got there, although parking was a nightmare, and had to talk to the ambulance people because I could not answer them with my name or date of birth.
“The staff in 02 really looked after me and two security guards who came in and were standing with me.
‘Dignity’
“When the ambulance staff wanted to get me on the stretcher there were customers coming in and out of the shop so Steve and the security guards stood with their backs to me, blocking the view of everyone, to give me my dignity while I tried to get on it.
“They really went out of their way to help. All I went in there for was to get someone to phone my daughter but they looked after me for what must have been nearly an hour. I really want to say a big thank you to them all.”
Mum-of-two Sharon has been booked in to see a cardiologist to find out why her blood pressure dropped so alarmingly low – it should be around 134.
‘Huge thanks’
Unfortunately, the incident has left Sharon shaken and worried about going out alone.
She said: “It was a very frightening experience especially as I was in a public place and no-one stopped to help me. It’s left me nervous about going out on my own.”
Daughter Carole Thompson added: “ I want to say a huge thank you to the guys who helped. All of them, the security guys and the people at O2 that day, were amazing.”