The day my life changed in a heartbeat
I am writing this story to coincide with National Heart Month in February. British Heart Foundation (BHF) are calling on ‘the nation’ to go red for Heart Month and raise money for charity.
This is an issue particularly close to my heart, excuse the pun, as I underwent a heart transplant in May 2021 at Wythenshawe Hospital.
My story begins 19 October 2012, a miserable rainy day in Dundee, Scotland.
Without warning I suffered five cardiac arrests in five hours. My day began normally but almost ended in tragedy, a disastrous day which changed my life in a heartbeat.
Earlier I had enjoyed a hearty breakfast and settled the weekly bill at the Fort Hotel.
On my route to work past the train bridge spanning the majestic River Tay.
I arrived at DC Thomson Newspapers and parked on the rooftop carpark. From there I sprinted 100 metres to escape the sleeting rain and made my way to the canteen and joined my workmates for a coffee and a chat.
Without warning an excruciating pain shot through my chest, like a bolt of lightning. A pain so intense, so extreme, I screamed out … then blackness.
I awoke from the nightmare, and sat back in the chair. My friend Martin had fallen on me while trying to stop me from hitting the ground. Miraculously that fall shocked my heart back to life. Completely unaware of the seriousness of events I turned to him and said: “I’m fine let’s go to work.”
No way said my colleagues, an ambulance is on its way. They told me my eyes had rolled and I’d blacked out as I fell.
Later that day the printing presses rumbled, and the Sunday Post snaked its way to the mailroom. My life ended in a heartbeat. I died in the canteen. I died twice in the ambulance, twice in hospital.
I wrestled with life, one heartbeat at a time in intensive care at Ninewells Hospital. Thanks to the care and attention of the doctors and nurses, I survived.
My unusual CPR created widespread media interest and I appeared in several newspaper and television interviews with my friend and saviour Martin Amriding.
The interviews brought flashbacks to the disastrous day in Dundee.
One simple question from BBC reporter Andy Gill which brought me to tears was: ‘Do you feel lucky?’
I certainly do. And this story is not the end.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0dk7sln
https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2013-01-16/mans-heart-restarted-by-friend-falling-on-his-chest
https://www.blogpreston.co.uk/tag/kevin-brockbank/
https://www.uclan.ac.uk/news/not-for-the-faint-hearted
https://www.printweek.com/news/article/heart-transplant-no-obstacle-for-former-print-engineer
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/363883/Heart-victim-is-saved-by-pal-falling-on-him/amp
