A football fanatic father whose heart stopped three times at his home has thanked the ambulance crews who saved his life.
Colin Wade, 70, from Scunthorpe had felt unwell throughout the night on 18 August 2018, experiencing pain and tightness in his chest. When his pain got worse he called 999.
Paramedic Andy Barsley and Technician Deb Donald were checking their vehicle at the start of their shift when they got the call. Within minutes they were on scene and confirmed that Colin was having a heart attack.
Andy sat Colin on a dining room chair and explained that they needed to get him to hospital, when Colin suddenly said: “I don’t feel too well,” and fell unconscious.
Andy and Deb immediately got Colin onto the floor and started cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation; their quick actions restarted his heart. The crew called control asking for assistance and Clinical Operations Manager Martyn Johnson arrived moments later.
Colin went into cardiac arrest a further two times, with the crew successfully re-starting his heart each time. Colin’s heart was unstable and the crew needed to keep him flat while transporting him from his home, however Colin lives in a second floor flat with a spiral staircase, so Martyn called Humberside Fire and Rescue who helped to extract Colin safely.
After stabilising Colin, the crew could blue-light him to Castle Hill Hospital in Hull. While on the way Colin didn’t loose his sense of humour, asking Martyn and Andy to tell Deb to pull over while he checked the score at the Winterton Rangers football match.
Once Colin arrived at hospital, he had surgery to fit a stent in his heart and was discharged three days later.
Deb transported another patient to Castle Hill Hospital the following Tuesday and saw Colin with his family on his way home having been discharged. She said: “He looked so well, and it was great to see him going home with his loved ones, it made everything worthwhile.”
Colin and his daughter-in-law Helen visited Scunthorpe Ambulance Station to thank Andy, Deb and Martyn. He said: “I cannot find the words to thank them, they saved my life, there are no words that will ever repay them.”
Martyn said: “Seeing Colin makes doing this job worthwhile and seeing the impact we have his on life is amazing.“
Andy added: “Unfortunately we can’t save everybody, but it’s great to see the impact we can have if it’s a positive outcome.”
#EMAZING #PrideinEMAS