Mark Saunders, of Bury St Edmunds, reunited with Abbeycroft Leisure Centre staff who saved his life
A man who suffered a heart attack at Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre in December has been reunited with the lifeguard and centre staff who kept him alive until an air ambulance arrived.
Mark Saunders, 47, of Bury, had been for his regular swim when he suddenly collapsed in the changing room and became unresponsive.
Carl Deeks, duty officer, and lifeguard Jack Eatly, together with centre manager Julie Hughes, acted quickly and began administering CPR on rotation, as well as shocking Mark’s heart with a defibrillator within a couple of minutes.
The team followed their training, carrying out all the necessary steps to keep Mark alive until East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) paramedics arrived. He was then taken to Papworth Hospital, where he underwent surgery to insert a stent.
WIth little memory of what happened, Mark returned to the leisure centre to meet the staff who saved his life and thank them personally.
He said: “I’m just so incredibly grateful that the Abbeycroft staff were so well trained and did what they did so efficiently.
“The surgeon at Papworth even told me that he didn’t think I would have survived the cardiac arrest if I hadn’t been where I was and treated by staff who knew exactly what to do.
“It’s so strange, but I honestly can’t remember anything that happened that day at all, so having the opportunity to meet the staff involved and thank them has been very emotional but very important to me.”
Julie Hughes, centre manager said: “It was very special meeting up with Mark again and we were all quite emotional, but it was great to see him recovering so well.
“We undergo rigorous training with the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) for this type of incident and we all felt very calm and prepared, but it wasn’t until after the air ambulance crew left with Mark that the realisation of what had happened started to evolve. I’m so proud of the team for how they responded."
Warren Smyth, Abbeycroft chief executive, said: “Seeing how well Mark is recovering was a huge boost for us all and must be such a relief for his family and friends.”
“We are incredibly proud of our staff: they showed skill, professionalism and empathy for everyone involved."
Cllr Ian Shipp, cabinet member for leisure at West Suffolk Council, which owns the centre, said: "This incident is a strong reminder of how important lifesaving skills such as CPR are but also the courage and compassion that the training helps give that was so ably shown by Abbeycroft staff.
“When others may have looked on, they took action. It is thanks to the fast and effective actions of Carl Deeks, Jack Eatly and Julie Hughes, that Mark is with us today.
“Their experience just goes to show how valuable such skills and training are."
Josh Lawrence, community CPR training programme manager at East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA), said: “Many lives can be saved each year by the combination of early bystander CPR and defibrillation, advanced critical care at the scene, followed by a rapid transfer to hospital.
“Mark’s story demonstrates the life-saving difference bystanders can make by starting the chain of survival as soon as possible.”
The out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rate in the UK is around eight per cent if only resuscitation/CPR is attempted. If a defibrillator is used alongside effective CPR within the first three to five minutes, the chances of survival can increase to between 40 per cent to 70 per cent.
Josh added: “The charity offers free one-hour training to local communities to equip more people with the skills, knowledge and confidence to potentially become somebody else’s life-saver. For more information visit CPR training – East Anglian Air Ambulance.”
Mark, a scaffolder by trade, is recovering well and hopes to return to work once he has had permission from the cardiac rehabilitation team at West Suffolk Hospital.
