PICKENS — The actions of a co-worker are all that separated Tricia Garrett from death on May 29.

When she began experiencing discomfort after reporting to work at the Pickens County Clerk’s Office, she thought it was indigestion and asked coworkers for an antacid. Amy Gilstrap, whose father had recently suffered a heart attack, became concerned and sprang into action.

“I’d gone upstairs to get a Sprite, and I wound up getting sick, so I went to lie down on a sofa,” Garrett said. “That’s when I heard Amy talking in the hallway. She was worried and had come to check on me.”

Gilstrap told Garrett they were going to the ER and took her there herself. By the time they arrived at the hospital, Garrett

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