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floor at about 4:15 p.m., his heart hav-

ing gone completely, terrifyingly still.

April Bradley was just starting her

shift at Panera when her brother told

her someone had passed out in the

back of the restaurant. When they got

to John, he was splayed on the carpet.

His face was dark purple. “It was the

scariest thing I’ve ever seen,” Bradley

says. She dialed 911. It was 4:17 p.m.

As luck would have it, Charlotte-

Mecklenburg police officer Lawrence

His Heart Wouldn’t Give Up

J

ohn Ogburn doesn’t remember a

single thing about Monday, June 26,

2017. He doesn’t remember wak-
      ing up that morning, or helping pre-
      pare breakfast for his three young
      children, or kissing his wife, Sarabeth
      Ogburn, goodbye. He doesn’t remem-
      ber driving to a Panera Bread in Char-
      lotte, North Carolina, or going to his
      favorite booth in the back, where he
      regularly sat, working on his laptop. And
      he doesn’t remember crumpling to the

By Théoden Janes

from the charlotte observer

John Ogburn (center), with Lawrence Guiler (left) and Nikolina Bajic

42 may 2019 illustration by Gel Jamlang

Reader’s Digest

EVERYDAY MIRACLES