UNION COUNTY, N.C. -- A Hickory mother and her two kids were on their way to Myrtle Beach over the weekend when she went into cardiac arrest while traveling through Union County.

• A woman went into cardiac arrest driving to the beach
• A nurse stopped and administered CPR
• Deputy says they just installed AED devices in patrol cars 

Her 18-year-old son got her out of the car and that's when a nurse from Myrtle Beach driving to Charlotte saw them on the side of the road. She stopped to help and administer CPR.

A Union County deputy Mike Malloy then stopped by and used the automated external defibrillator device they just had installed in their patrol cars. The device delivers a shock to the heart during potential heart attack situations, possibly saving the patient's life.

“The Lord definitely had His hand on the situation,” deputy Malloy said.

After delivering two shocks, the paramedics arrived and they were able to get the woman's pulse and breathing back.

"Without that officer stopping with that AED, yeah, I kept her alive until the paramedics got there another five to seven minutes, but AED definitely saved that lady's life as far as making a difference,” nurse Grace Hanna said.

She is in the intensive care unit at the hospital where she will hopefully make a full recovery.