Elena Lewis – 22nd May 2023 – 2:20pm.
For Paul Brain, 2020 could have ended very differently after he suffered a cardiac arrest in December, but thanks to the lifesaving interventions of West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) paramedics Tugce Yilmaz and Darren Neeld, he survived and returned home to his family at the end of January.
Mr Brain, a liver transplant and cancer survivor was only 67 at the time of his cardiac arrest, thankfully recognising the strong chest pains he was suffering as a need to call 999 for help. At the time of the call he thought he was suffering a heart attack, but he went on to arrest in front of ambulance staff.
During an emotional reunion with Tugce and Darren, Mr Brain, from Castle Bromwich, said: “I have been waiting more than two years for this moment, when I get to thank you for saving my life.
“I suffered a further cardiac arrest in hospital, as well as a stroke.
“I have now recovered with no ill effects whatsoever, but none of this would have been possible if it were not for their fast and professional actions, and hard work.
“I appreciate how beautiful the blue sky is and how green the grass is every day now, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Mr Brain’s wife added: “Thank you for giving me this extra time with my husband.
“I want all frontline ambulance staff to know how much we appreciate what they do, we really do!”
Only 1 in 10 people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, as any delay to administering CPR majorly decreases the chance of survival. Tugce recognised the impact of being able to administer CPR straight away had on saving Mr Brain’s life: “This case is forever seared in my memory, as many cases we attend are unremarkable but this one will stay with me forever.
“To find out that there has been such a happy outcome means the world to me, and it has reminded me that the job we do can be so important to people”.
Knowing the signs of a heart attack and the signs of a cardiac arrest can save people’s lives, as well as being able to affectively administer CPR. Would you know how to give lifesaving CPR? For more information on CPR click the link here.
Notes
Link for information on CPR Learn how to save a life – CPR | British Heart Foundation – BHF
Link for cardiac arrest information https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/cardiac-arrest
Link for heart attack information https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/heart-attack
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