Caitlin Lory arrived home with her mother Hayley to a shocking scene that might have sent many of us into a panic.
Her normally healthy 24-year-old brother Matthew Lory was lying unconscious on the kitchen floor.
The 20-year-old student from Pontypridd had been out with her mother for the day and came home at around 6pm to find her brother collapsed.
Read more: How to begin emergency CPR: the life-saving skill everyone should know
At first, she thought he was just messing around as she said he always liked to have a laugh.
"I thought he was joking so I kicked him and was like, 'get up, what you doin joking around', and then I realised there was blood around his face and my mum just screamed and I didn't know that he had passed out and his heart had stopped."
Caitlin immediately rang 999 and the operator explained that she had to start CPR, so Caitlin began trying to keep her brother alive whilst waiting for the ambulance to come.
Matthew was thought to be a very healthy man at the time and didn't have any other known health issues before the cardiac arrest on Sunday, March 28. He used to go on very long bike rides every weekend.
Caitlin said it was frightening when the phone operator was explaining what she had to do. She added:" It was scary, I could see that Matthew's lips were going blue and I felt as if I wasn't really doing anything and I thought he had gone already.
"I'd done a course in CPR four years before the incident, and I was surprised it wasn't the same as what I'd learnt. I learnt after 30 chest compressions to give two breaths, however I was told not to do the breaths and continue to do the compressions."
Caitlin's mother Hayley was in hysterics whilst Caitlin tried to save her brother's life. Caitlin explained: "She couldn't stay in the room, she was outside screaming and crying - waiting for the ambulance to come just felt like forever."
Caitlin worked on Matthew for around 10 minutes before the ambulance arrived, but said it felt like hours on end.
Caitlin added: "The paramedics were really supportive and they all shook my hand. When they arrived we all had to stand outside whilst they continued to work on him and it took a while. This all started at half past six and he didn't get into the ambulance until around half ten so it was a long time."
Six months on from the incident Matthew is still recovering but is able to think about returning to work and will be able to drive again. Reflecting on the that day, Caitlin didn't think she'd have been able to save her brother if she hadn't done a CPR course previously.
She added: "I was thankful I had done a CPR course before. I knew what I was supposed to do and if I hadn't done a course before I don't think I would have been so fast doing it. I think it's really important and should be taught."
Caitlin and Matthew's mum Hayley nominated Caitlin for a British Heart Foundation Heart Hero Award in recognition of her wonderful actions in saving her brother's life. She was announced as the winner of a Heart Hero CPR Hero Award on September 29, 2021.
On winning the award she said: "Winning the award means so much to me as it brought something positive and uplifting out of a scary and unimaginable situation. I hope it encourages other people to learn CPR as it is so easy but so important and could save a loved one’s life."
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