On the 4th of February this year, my Dad suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.

While enjoying a bacon sandwich at Le Cotils Cafe, he collapsed to the floor - heart suddenly not working and breathing rapidly failing.

Ever the man with an impeccable sense of timing, Dad picked the most fortuitous time and place to suffer this devastating event, for which the survival rate across the UK is less than 10%. At the table opposite his forlorn, forgotten bacon sandwich sat Lynnette Simons and Paul Hancock, who had recently attended a course run by St John Ambulance Service at Les Cotils. Led by St John Training Manager Steve Ford, these three brave strangers leapt into action and started Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on Dad. They were supported by Les Cotils manager Fiona Naftel and cafe manager Pauline who called 999 and retrieved the hotel's defibrillator.

These fantastic people, to whom I owe a debt I will never be able to repay, brought Dad back to life in less than 3 minutes. In a line that is now probably famous among Guernsey's paramedic service, Dad was even able to protest about leaving in an ambulance as he had not 'paid for (his) bacon sandwich.'

It didn't seem it at the time but Dad was incredibly lucky. It didn't seem it as I tearfully shook while receiving the news of his arrest. It didn't seem it when the dreaded Guernsey fog prevented Dad from being 'medevaced' to Southampton Hospital for several days. It certainly didn't seem it during the days, nights and weeks we spent on humid, crowded NHS wards awaiting diagnosis and treatment, or in the long road to recovery afterwards. However, the reality is that my Dad is one of the few who has survived an out of hospital cardiac arrest, an event which kills 27,000 people annually in the UK.

But what can my family take from such a traumatic brush with the jaws of death? Well, the first is that there is increasing evidence that my Dad is Iron Man. His heart now works with the support of electronic circuitry, he has recovered his devotion to his work, sport and volunteering as if nothing happened and he has a certain affinity for not appearing in the same room as Tony Stark.

The more significant takeaway is that we can do so much with relatively little to dramatically reduce fatalities from cardiac arrests and other Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs). While desperately flicking through information booklets at Southampton Hospital for answers, I learned that effective bystander CPR provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival. If a defibrillator is used within 3-5 minutes of cardiac arrest, survival rates jump from 6% to 74%. In 88% of cases, these arrests happen at home; so, if you save a life using CPR, it is likely to be a friend child, spouse or parent.

These statistics may seem devoid of meaning on paper but are the difference between life and death for cardiac arrest victims on a daily basis.

This quaver of optimism in a relatively morbid topic has inspired me to help improve the survival rate of cardiac arrests in the only way I know how; putting my body through intense pain by committing to a physical challenge of which I haven't really considered the difficulty.

On September 29th, I will be running the Hever Castle Olympic-length Triathlon in aid of Guernsey's St John Ambulance Service and Cardiac Action Group. Both these organisations work tirelessly to mitigate the effects of CVDs and are campaigning to install a defibrillator in every Guernsey Island Games sports venue by 2021.

It would mean the world to me if you could help sponsor me to reach this ambitious goal.

It goes without saying that I am happy to wear ridiculous clothing, commit to a certain time or make my Triathlon more difficult in other silly way upon request if it makes you donate. Irrespective of donation, I implore anybody reading this to take the time to learn CPR and defibrillation from a trusted source.

As I make my way from the icy moat of Anne Boleyn's castle, staggering across the Kentish downs towards the finish line, I'll be thinking about Dad. I'll be thinking about the day of his cardiac arrest and, despite my reluctant vegetarianism, I might even be thinking about bacon sandwiches. However, I'll be happy throughout knowing that my actions are helping to reduce the risk of death from cardiac arrest in Guernsey.

Please donate and, together, we can make this happen.

https://guernseypress.com/news/2019/03/11/thank-you-for-saving-my-life/