An ambulance worker in the United Kingdom suffered a cardiac arrest while on duty and was saved by his patient and a nurse. According to the BBC, Shaun McBride was about to transport 72-year-old Tommy Stewart from Glen O'Dee Hospital in Banchory to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary when he collapsed. Luckily, despite being an amputee in a wheelchair, Mr Stewart managed to call for help, while nurse Freya Smith-Nicol administered CPR until another ambulance arrived.
The incident took place two months back in July, according to the BBC. But now those involved in the drama that unfolded at the small community hospital in Aberdeenshire have reunited and spoken about the incident.
recalling the incident, Mr McBride, 56, said that he had just secured Mr Stewart into his vehicle when he collapsed. "I heard a thump and I just saw the top of Shaun's head," the patient said. "I said: 'He's collapsed'. But there was no way I could reach the horn because I was strapped in. so the next thing was: roar," Mr Steward added.
The 72-year-old's repeated cries were heard by a hospital caretaker who ran out to see what was going on. Nurse Freya Smith-Nicol was then quickly alerted, and quickly realised there was "a lot of panic in the air".
"I knew immediately something was wrong," the 28-year-old nurse said, adding, "I thought it was going to be one of our patients, because you put two and two together, and obviously didn't expect to see Shaun there."
"It was quite a big shock. He was unconscious on the ramp of the ambulance," Ms Freya recalled.
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The nurse revealed that she then performed CPR on Mr McBride for 25 minutes. She used a defibrillator seven times as she fought to save him. "The ambulance crew turned up just as we kind of got him back - so it was all timed quite well," she said.
Following the incident, Mr McBride was placed in an induced coma in intensive care. He pulled through and has now been fitted with a defibrillator. He said that he has no memory of what happened, but thanked the patient and the nurse for giving him "another chance in life".
"If it wasn't for Tommy raising the alarm and the quick actions of Freya and the team - well I wouldn't be sitting here today," he said. "Thank you for giving me another chance in life. My gratitude is there forever. Live for today, because you never know what tomorrow might bring," he added.
Mr McBride now hopes to return to work next month. He said what happened has given him not only a second chance, but two new friends for life.
