Uh oh, Neil's running again!

On 1st January 2015 I went for a run and very nearly never came back.  I had a cardiac arrest at the finish line of a local parkrun, and my heart stopped beating for the best part of fifteen minutes.  Despite being just 34 and in relatively good health, I had an underlying problem with my heart that I knew nothing about.  When the doctors found out the extent of the issue that caused my arrest, they put my chances of survival at about 4%.

There are two reasons I'm still here today - firstly, the efforts of my fellow runners that day to keep me alive with CPR.  I was incredibly lucky to be in a place where people knew exactly what to do to try and boost my chances of survival.  Secondly, the paramedics from London Ambulance Service who got my heart started again, and took me straight to hospital where I spent most of January.

Now I am fortunate enough to have made a full recovery, I would like to do something to help others. The London Ambulance Service 'First Responder' Group is a charity that specifically focuses on training members of the public in how to deal with a life-threatening situation such as mine, and also encourages placement and awareness of AEDs (defibrillators) - the life-saving machines than can restart somebody's heart.

I am going to attempt to run the Reading Half Marathon (13.1 miles) which will be by the far the longest run I have attempted since recovering.  I have had excellent help and support from the cardiac rehab team at the hospital and we feel this is achievable without putting myself at risk.  I will be glued to my heart rate monitor throughout, and am focusing on keeping my heart rate steady - I don't care what time I do the run in, I just want to get round the course!

Every penny I raise will go to the LAS First Responder Group, and the money will be specifically used on the placement of new AED machines in public locations.  A good quality AED costs about £1,000 - I am hoping to raise enough to fund three of these machines!  Anything you can give will be very much appreciated.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thanks for reading my story.  I wrote a blog last year with a bit more detail which you can read here:
http://coleybackfromthebrink.blogspot.com