This Valentine’s Day, the IOW NHS Ambulance Service wants to remind everyone of the importance of learning Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and how to use public defibrillators, so we all have the skills to help restart a heart.
Survival rates from cardiac arrest which happen outside hospital remain worryingly low in the UK, with fewer than one in ten people surviving – we have an opportunity to greatly improve if we take the time to learn about CPR.
“They all went above and beyond to save a life”
Islander Gwen, the wife of a cardiac survivor, bravely shares her story about how Valentines Day 2023 could have left her broken hearted if it wasn’t for early CPR intervention,
“I didn’t get a Valentine’s card last year. The only heart to feature on the day was my husband Bob’s broken one, as he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at our home in Ryde in the early hours, and he died on the hall floor in front of me.
“It came completely out of the blue. My 999 call was answered by an angel-in-disguise from the IOW Ambulance call center who proceeded to ask me the most important things about what was happening, keeping me calm and giving me a crash course in CPR – without being able show me what to do! Her expert guidance meant I was able to bring Bob back and keep him alive with chest compressions while awaiting paramedic support. No mean feat for an unfit 65-year-old!
“Our stars were aligned, two Ambulance teams arrived, set up in our cramped hall and took over the arduous task of resuscitating Bob. They worked tirelessly on him, and I refused to believe I was about to lose the love of my life. Thanks to the selfless and unceasing efforts of these four superhuman ladies in green, the seemingly impossible was achieved and they took him to St Mary’s Hospital. Bob was in a coma for a week and on a hospital ward for another two, finally coming home on 6 March 2023.
“Our journey continued and on a warm sunny day last August, my husband and I were reunited with his rescuers; we rounded a corner into the ambulance station garden, to be met with the huge smiles of five of Heaven’s best. It became evident from the long hugs, the copious tears, the burning questions answered and the lighter moments that were recounted, that this meeting was worth its weight in gold to both us and those ambulance team members.
“We want every one of them to know not only what a vital role they played that night but also how splendidly they performed those roles. They all went above and beyond to save a life. Their compassion and tenacity they saved my husband’s life.”
Walker: CPR really can mean the difference between life and death
Louise Walker, Ambulance Education Training and Engagement Lead, said,
“Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, at any age, at any time; having people around you that can recognise what is happening, who can call 999 for help and are able to perform CPR really can mean the difference between life and death.
“CPR and early access to a defibrillator increases someone’s chance of survival greatly, we urge anyone who has a defibrillator to please register it with us via The Circuit and ask everyone to take a few minutes out of their day to learn CPR, as maybe one day it will save a life.”
Find out more
Learning CPR is something everyone can do, if you are interested in learning, please visit these following websites:
- CPR | Resuscitation Council UK
- Defibrillation | Resuscitation Council UK
- Isle of Wight ambulance training community response services
News shared by Isle of Wight NHS Trust, in their own words. Ed
