Waffle House Waitress Renee Vance Saves Man From Diabetic Shock

Renee Vance, who began nursing school in January, got some real-life medical experience at the Waffle House chain she's worked at for 27 years.

She helped save a diner lapsing into diabetic shock by quickly diagnosing the problem and forcing him to drink orange juice, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. Another customer had yelled that the 76-year-old victim, known to Vance as Leo, was having a stroke after he slumped over in his chair at a Cobb County, Ga., Waffle House on March 24. But Vance, a diabetic herself, thought otherwise and quickly measured his blood sugar with her glucose meter.

The reading had plummeted to a point that could lead to organ failure, she told the station. "I just did what I did," she said. "I didn't think about it. It was just save him. Something's going to happen if I don't."

Vance reacted so confidently that two other customers who had just completed their CPR training backed off to let her lead, Waffle House spokeswoman Kelly Thrasher told The Huffington Post on Monday. "She didn't hesitate, she wasn't afraid," Thrasher said. "She basically took charge of the situation and there was no time for panic to set in."

Thrasher called Vance a hero and said the experience reassured Vance that pursuing nursing was "the right thing."

Leo's family informed Vance that Leo -- who was taken out by paramedics -- was recovering, Thrasher said.

In February, a Texas waiter performed a Good Samaritan act of a different sort, defending a 5-year-old boy with Down Syndrome. Michael Garcia refused to serve a family dining nearby that insulted the boy and earned donations and praise for his act.