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Successful saves, story 2

Arriving at Gatwick Airport's North Terminal on 17 May 2003, returning from a holiday in Spain, my wife and I were hurrying to the luggage carousel, which always seems to be a mile away from the gate.  I was carrying a heavy bag containing 'duty frees' and foolishly ignored two angina attacks on the way.  On reaching the carousel I suddenly felt faint and collapsed.  This was the last I remembered until I woke up in the ambulance on the way to East Surrey Hospital in Redhill.

I can only imagine the distress of my wife watching all this.  Fortunately a doctor on my flight acted immediately and administered first aid with the help of Chris Stuart, the manager of Terminal Operations who supplied an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) which is kept at the terminal.  I received one shock, recovered and the rest is history.  I spent a week in the hospital at Redhill, was transferred to Papworth Hospital where an Internal Cardiac Defibrillator (ICD) was fitted, and four weeks later a quadruple bypass was performed.

In January Anne and I received a visit from Siân Davies, a lovely occasion and much appreciated. We found we had several things in common, one being that she knew the specialist who fitted my ICD. Siân has a lovely 'bedside manner' and is a kind and considerate person who is genuinely interested in her work and passionate about the National Defibrillator Programme.

I must be one of the most fortunate people alive thanks to modern technology and the skill of the people involved.

Haydn Jones

Successful saves, story 3

My parents had travelled down from Stoke-on-Trent to the BBC's Maida Vale studios to hear a live broadcast concert, which I had produced.

It was as they began their return journey on 29 February 2004 that events took a dramatic turn.  Walking down Platform 13 at Euston Station to catch the 11.55 Virgin Express, all seemed fine.  As the whistle blew however, my father fell to the floor.  A fellow passenger quickly got him into the recovery position and the guards call over the train's tannoy system led to a young lady doctor quickly arriving on the scene.

In the blur of time that then followed, three members of the Euston station team arrived, carrying the defibrillator unit - Lea Williams, Mario Berezuwski & Lawrence Maclin took immediate action and saved my fathers life.

Blue flashing lights signalled the arrival of Simon, the motorcycle paramedic who took over and immediately congratulated the train team on their prompt and decisive action. With my father (Terry) on a stretcher and my mother (Sylvia) on the stations mobility vehicle we found our way to the waiting ambulance which took us all at speed to University College Hospital.  What a short ride that seemed to my mind to take forever.

What followed? Well, an immediate emergency transfer to the Heart Hospital on Westmorland Street, and a diagnosis that necessitated a triple bypass operation that was carried out at 08.30 am the following day. Surgeons and staff within the Intensive Care Unit, the High Dependency Unit and the Convalescence ward were all quite simply superb - their dedication humbling.

One week later, we did get to make the journey North, which had been so calamitously interrupted -this time we did it by road.  My dad is now recovering at home, doing well and is looking forward to his next trip south which will be as an outpatient in a few weeks time.

All that remains to be said is how much our family would like to thank everyone involved.  The Euston defibrillator team saved my Dads life and we will be forever grateful.

Lincoln Abbotts
(Terry Abbotts Son)