The incident took place two months ago in July. (Unsplash/representative photo)
An ambulance worker in the United Kingdom suffered cardiac arrest while on duty and was saved by his patient and a nurse. According to the bbc, Shaun McBride was about to transport Tommy Stewart, 72, from Glen O’Dee Hospital in Banchory to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary when he collapsed. Fortunately, despite being a wheelchair-bound amputee, Stewart managed to call for help, while nurse Freya Smith-Nicol administered CPR until another ambulance arrived.
The incident took place two months ago in July, according to the bbc. But now those involved in the drama that unfolded at the small Aberdeenshire community hospital have come together and spoken out about the incident.
Recalling the incident, McBride, 56, said he had just secured Stewart in his vehicle when he collapsed. “I heard a bang and saw the top of Shaun’s head,” the patient said. “I said, ‘He’s collapsed.’ But there was no way he could reach the horn because he was tied up, so next thing he did: roar,” Steward added.
The 72-year-old man’s repeated screams were heard by a hospital caretaker who ran out to see what was happening. Nurse Freya Smith-Nicol was quickly alerted and she quickly realized 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 I wasn’t expecting to see Shaun.” there.”
“It was quite a shock. He was unconscious on the ambulance ramp,” Mrs Freya remembers.
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The nurse revealed 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 arrived just as we were recovering him, so everything was timely,” she said.
Following the incident, Mr McBride was placed in an induced coma in intensive care. He recovered and has now been given a defibrillator. He said he doesn’t remember what happened, but thanked the patient and the nurse for giving him “another chance at 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 at life. My gratitude is there forever. Live for today, because you never know what tomorrow will bring,” she added.
McBride now hopes to return to work next month. He said what happened not only gave him a second chance, but two new friends for life.