A Scot who almost died in a supermarket in East Kilbride was overcome with emotion after being reunited with the pair of local heroes who saved him.
Ian Coventry, 72, collapsed in the queue during a visit to his local Tesco in March last year.
But thankfully a quick-thinking customer and a Tesco staff member didn't hesitate to jump into action and saved his life.
Ian only discovered what had happened after waking up in the local hospital in Hairmyres a week later.
After being told he'd had a cardiac arrest, the plucky pensioner joked in a STV interview that he had been more angry about the fact that they had had to cut off a lovely suede jacket that his late wife had given him than the fact he had "died ten times or something".
Ian was recently reunited with the two people who had saved him in an emotional Zoom call.
Fellow customer Scott Bain, who was closest to him when he fell, was the first to react, performing CPR while Tesco manager Joanne Stevenson ran to get the store’s defibrillator.
Speaking about the incident, Scott said: “It was like a big blur to me at the time and I obviously just went into some kind of superhero mode.”
Joanne, who had completed her first aid training just weeks prior to the incident, added: “It felt like a lifetime when it was happening.
“A few shocks went by and I was like, ‘ok, we need to get him, we need to get him back’, and thankfully the paramedics were there straight away.”
Medics later praised the pair for their quick actions, which saved Ian's life, and prevented him from suffering a hypoxic brain injury.
Stating that simple thank yous were inadequate for how grateful he and his family were for what the brave duo did, Ian said: “It’s wonderful to know that people like Scott and people like Joanne are going about with these skills and they can just jump in and save everyone’s life.”
Poking a little fun at Scott over his treasured jacket, Ian was quick to point out that he would rather be "here without the jacket" than "have the jacket and not be here".
Scott, who runs a shop in the town, can also be expecting a visit from the pensioner when the current restrictions are eased, with Ian stating: “There’s a wee pub next door. It’s a bit of a dive but we can just meet there and have a wee swally. I’d like to buy you a drink.”
