A LICHFIELD man who saved his wife’s life has won an award for his actions.
Gemma Stuart-Young, 48, was on a a family ski holiday in Austria when she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.
Her husband Jim performed CPR for 20 minutes until paramedics arrived and took her to Innsbruck Hospital, where she spent two days in an induced coma and two weeks in hospital before returning home to the UK, where she later received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).
The 51-year-old, who trained as a workplace first aider, was honoured for his lifesaving efforts after being named a CPR Hero at the British Heart Foundation’s Heart Hero Awards.
Gemma said:
“We’d been skiing all day and I felt fine. Later that evening, I suddenly said to a friend ‘can you hold my water? I feel faint’ – then I collapsed.
“Jim was incredible. He stayed calm and just kept going. I’m so grateful he knew CPR – it saved my life.
“Since then, we’ve all done CPR training. It’s something everyone should learn because you never know when you’ll need it.”
The British Heart Foundation says there are over 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year, and fewer than one in ten people survive. Survival chances more than double with timely CPR and defibrillation.
Jim said:
“When Gemma collapsed, everything else disappeared. I just thought ‘I have to keep her alive’.
“We were halfway up a mountain and I knew help would take time. The training kicked in – I focused on compressions and counting, hoping it would be enough.
“The 20 minutes went by in a flash and adrenaline kept me going. When the paramedics arrived, it was the biggest relief of my life.
“I’m so thankful I knew CPR, because without it, Gemma wouldn’t be here today.”
The British Heart Foundation’s Heart Hero Awards celebrate individuals who show bravery and go above and beyond to help others affected by cardiovascular disease.
This year’s event, hosted by broadcaster Vernon Kay, honoured fundraisers, community champions and lifesavers.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, said: said: “The Heart Hero Awards shine a light on the most heartening stories.
“The incredible and generous contributions of people like Jim are helping us to achieve our vision of a world free from the fear of cardiovascular disease, which claims the life of a loved one in the UK every three minutes.
“British Heart Foundation-funded research has already saved countless lives, but our job is far from done. The more we can discover, through the public’s generosity, the more lives we can save and improve – and give families many more Christmases together.”
