The 19th of June 2017 was just another day, I had noticed I had missed a call from my dad just after 21:30. I called him back and during that call my heart stopped – I had suffered a cardiac arrest. My wife, Ali, heard me collapse and came to my aid. She had always joked about her first aid aid courses as only being good because of the tea and biscuits. Little did she know that the annual refreshers would give her the skills to save my life, my son Sam went and got help from Mark our next door neighbour and between them did CPR until James, our local Community First Responder arrived, I had been dead now for 8 Minutes.
James arrived on scene within 4 minutes of the call and began treating me, including using a defibrillator to get my heart back into the correct rhythm, administering 3 shocks with no luck, on the 4th attempt got my heart started again. (Thanks James for giving it one more go!!)
A blue light run to Warwick hospital and an induced coma in an intensive care was next. I’m told the hospital staff were amazing. Due to how long I hadn’t been breathing, there were concerns that if I did pull through would I have suffered brain damage – obviously with Ali by my side, with unbelievable support from friends and family the road to recovery began.
Well 12 months later, I decided to do a 100 mile bike ride to fundraise for a community defibrillator for Kineton Play Group. We completed the cycle ride and I even got to share my story “Live” on BBC CWR with James. The fundraiser did so well that we actually had enough money to buy two defibrillators, an outside heated cabinet, replacement batteries and money to train all the staff at Kineton Play Group and Wellesbourne Primary School!
Here I am 8 years later, I have a ICD or Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator in my chest that would hopefully get my heart started if the above happened again. I’m fighting fit with no issues – the star’s aligned that night and I owe so much to everyone that kept me alive.
