A lucky cardiac arrest survivor who nearly died at Meadowhall shopping centre has supported a new move to teach people life-saving skills.
Bob Reville, 53, of London Road, Sheffield, suffered a cardiac arrest at the centre’s food court, but thanks to the quick actions of an off duty nurse and a security guard is still here to tell the tale.
He said: “I’m definitely one of the lucky people, I survived from the cardiac arrest and I have no severe brain damage or after effects.
“I am lucky also because I was saved by total strangers when all these things happened without any signs.”
The centre is now holding a free Life Saving Skill event from Friday 25th to Sunday 27th February, in partnership with the British Army, Yorkshire Air Ambulance, South Yorkshire Police and British Heart Foundation.
All visiting shoppers will be invited to attend the drop-in sessions.
The majority of the people who had a sudden cardiac arrest will suffer from irreversible brain damage, after effects or memory loss, the longer the rescue takes place, the lower the chance of survival with higher risk of brain damage.
Thanks to the quick response of the nurse and security guard, Mr Reville only experienced some minor brain damage and has now made a complete recovery.
The incident happened in the Oasis food court on a Sunday morning, in 2013 September, when Bob was walking around in Meadowhall alone.
Bob’s saviours used CPR and a defibrillator. He was stabilised after five and a half minutes.
According to Resuscitation Council UK, over a third (38%) of UK adults have not learned any essential CPR skills.
These are the skills that saved footballer Christian Eriksen’s life at EURO 2020.
These skills are not only essential for those who have family members or friends with potential heart attack, but for everyone.
Also, with the hit of pandemic in recent years, COVID-19 patients are far more likely to die from cardiac arrest than patients who are not infected by the coronavirus, according to a recent research in the European Heart Journal.
People of all ages should learn how to do CPR and some essential first aid skills.
