A PORTLAND man told how ‘sheer luck’ saved his dad’s life.

St John Ambulance volunteer Jonathon Neal took an automated external defibrillator (AED) home with him for the night for safe keeping after undertaking first aid duties at a Portland running race.

He used the machine later that night to save his dad Chris who suffered a cardiac arrest – the first time he had used one in a real life situation.

Jonathon, 28, said: ‘I assessed dad’s condition – he was unconscious and responsive to pain but nothing else, so I ran downstairs to grab my first aid kit and defibrillator, as well as calling an ambulance.

‘I got the AED on him pretty quickly and administered two shocks to get dad’s heart back into a normal sinus rhythm.”

He added: “At St John Ambulance, we train for this kind of situation all the time but you always hope it will never happen.

“I just thought “this is as serious as it gets” and got on with my job.

“I knew dad’s life was at stake, but I had to put that to the back of my mind and focus on giving CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation), keeping his airway clear and making sure I could give the best possible handover to the ambulance crew.”

Royal Mail worker Chris, 64, who suffers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), had a stent fitted after a heart attack, just one week before the night of his cardiac arrest.

After being saved by his son he was treated at Dorset County Hospital. His heart arrested five times before drug treatments stabilised his condition.

After having a combined pacemaker and defibrillator fitted, he is now recovering at home and grateful for a new lease of life.

Speaking of his son’s intervention with the AED he said: “What a fluke!”

He added: “I remember nothing about what happened.

“I thought I was doing well, after having my stent. I’d gone to bed as normal, but I came round four days later in Dorchester hospital.

“The nurses said if it hadn’t been for Jonathon using the defibrillator, I wouldn’t have stood a chance – I would never have woken up at all.”

Jonathon, who works as an electrician at Manor Marine added: “It was sheer luck that I had the AED with me, but I’m so glad that I did and I feel very fortunate to have had my training with St John Ambulance, because thanks to all that we’ve still got my dad.”

Now, father and son, who are members of Wareham Town Band and play the trombone and cornet, respectively, are looking forward to a comeback gig, next month.

“I’m well on the road to recovery and feeling better every day,” Chris added. “I just want to carry on living from where I left off; only bigger and better.”

 

Defib a lifesaver

ST John Ambulance says one person suffers a cardiac arrest every two minutes in the UK and as many as one in three will die before they reach hospital.

But survival rates increase by more than 50 per cent if a defibrillator is used within the first four minutes.

For more information on St John Ambulance’s work, including how to become a volunteer, training courses and how to buy equipment including AEDs visit sja.org.uk or call 08700 104950.