A father of two who went into cardiac arrest during a fitness training session has been reunited with the off-duty doctor who happened to be there at the time.
Lucky John Savage said it was ‘miraculous’ help was at such close hand - and that the club had a defibrillator there to save his life.
The father-of-two thanked the Bristol doctor who saved him, when they were reunited just six weeks later, with Mr Savage well on his way to making a full recovery.
The 56-year-old’s heart stopped beating during a fitness training session at the Lansdown Tennis, Squash and Croquet Club in the Northfields area of Bath on October 13.
Miraculously, a Bristol GP, Dr Mark Byron, was there, realised John had stopped breathing and called for help.
He carried out CPR and with another doctor who happened to be there, Dr Richard Dixon, they grabbed the centre’s defibrillator and began shocking John’s heart back to life.
“I felt my heart flutter and thought it was going to pass out,” said John.
“The next thing I remember is Paramedic Ed leaning over me. I felt like I was in the eye of my own storm,” he added.
A local businessman called Andy Ewings dialled 999, and the ambulance came within four minutes.
“There was a lot of concern for me, but I’m practically back to normal now,” said John.
“I survived because of the great response and treatment I received. I’m incredibly lucky to be alive.
“I’m not religious, but it’s miraculous,” he added.
Dr Byron said: “It was an upsetting event. But I went into autopilot, and thankfully the ambulance crew arrived quickly.”
He was taken to the RUH in Bath, and then on to the Bristol Heart Institute for surgery.
Paramedic Ed Hill said it showed the value of having defibrillators in public places like sports clubs.
“As we arrived John had just received his third shock and had begun making a recovery, resulting in him talking to us,” he said.
“This was such a fantastic example of early CPR and defibrillation which deserves recognition.
“I can’t describe the emotion of reuniting the patient with his two young daughters after their dad had been clinically dead for five minutes,” he added.
Michael Anning, the operations officer for South Western Ambulance Service, added it showed why quick action and accessibility to equipment is so vital.
“This incident demonstrates the real worth of publicly accessible defibrillators. The quick action of bystanders and the prompt transfer to hospital have ensured the best possible outcome,” he said.
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