Thursday 19th November 2015 – 9.35am – Chris Kowalik.
A man, described as a “walking example” that CPR and defibrillators do work, has met the ambulance crews who helped save his life.
On Friday September 28th, 2012 shortly after his 17th birthday, Dan Edwards had run up stairs at Worcester College of Technology to get his coat for a hospital appointment when he collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest.
A member of college staff who saw it happen put him in the recovery position and called for his tutor, former Engineering Supervisor Dave Price who was also a Community First Responder to come up and help.
Dave ran up the stairs, started CPR and continued even after the ambulance service arrived. Dan has made a full recovery and has met Dave since, but last Friday 13th November was an opportunity for Dan and his family to also meet the ambulance crews involved in the case.

Picture: West Midlands Ambulance Service
Gathering at Worcester ambulance hub in Spetchley Road, Nick Montandon, one of the paramedic officers who attended to Dan three years ago said: “Everything went for you that day.” He recalled: “I was here, I heard the Red 1 call, grabbed Dave MacDonald upstairs and we went down the road like the car was something out of ‘Batman’! We were told CPR was being done on him. We put the defib on him and started advanced life support. I was on my belly just about to intubate him when his vocal chords opened and he started to breathe. It was that quick and his colour came back.”
Dan was taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital where he was in a coma until the following Monday, October 1st.
Dan said: “I don’t remember anything. It just felt like I went to sleep and woke up the next day. I am fine now.”
Now fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, Dan has raised money for the Arrhythmia Alliance charity, passed his driving test and completed a two-year engineering apprenticeship at a college in Birmingham. He said he explained to people there what had happened to him: “They all seemed really shocked because I was obviously so young at the time. They don’t expect something like that to happen to a young person.”
Dan, his friends and his mother Sue have had training in CPR and using a defibrillator. Sue said: “We didn’t want to think if we saw something like that in the street that we would have to walk by because we couldn’t help. I would like to think that we can at least try and save somebody and know what to do. So, we both went on the course. It’s so important. Dan is a walking example that hands-on CPR and defibrillators do work”.
Dan father Darren added: “Dan’s family would like to say thank you so much to everyone involved in saving Daniel’s life and we will always be grateful for what they did that day”.
Dan’s former tutor Dave Price who delivered the CPR at Worcester College of Technology said: “I think CPR is a wonderful thing for people. I think more people should learn how to do CPR. I think it should be taught at school.”
Ends
Pictured left-to-right: Sue Edwards, Toby Ford (attending student technician in 2012), Yuetwah Patrick (Paramedic), Dave Price (Community First Responder and college tutor), Megan Edwards, Dan Edwards, Dave MacDonald (Paramedic Officer), Nick Montandon (Paramedic Officer), Darren Edwards. Picture: West Midlands Ambulance Service