A cricket spectator from Nottingham who suffered a cardiac arrest at Trent Bridge has returned to the ground one year on to thank the staff member who helped save his life.
David Tomlinson, 62, an IT Trainer from The Meadows arranged the reunion to coincide with day one of a 154-mile walk from Birmingham to London to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
On the day of his cardiac arrest, David had walked into the ground with his wife, Michelle to watch Trent Rockets on August 10th last year. He collapsed without warning within yards of the ticket barrier.
Hayley Spencer, the ground’s First Aider was standing nearby and immediately started CPR chest compressions. Paramedics then used a defibrillator to help save David’s life.
David had two more cardiac arrests in the ambulance on the way to Nottingham City Hospital and a third as he arrived at the emergency unit. He was stabilised for four days at the hospital’s Trent Cardiac Centre and then transferred to Birmingham’s Midland Metropolitan University Hospital where he underwent a triple by-pass.
He was later fitted with an ICD which will deliver an electrical shock to stop a lethal, chaotic rhythm if he goes into another sudden cardiac arrest.
David said: “I know how very lucky I am to be alive and how much I owe to Hayley and to the science that lies behind successful heart surgery. This is why I wanted to go back and thank her at the start of my BHF fundraising walk.”
David started his walk from the Birmingham office of his employer, QA and is heading to their London headquarters at St Katherine’s Dock. He was driven to Trent Bridge to make up the distance in time to be reunited with Hayley and catch some of the Trent Rockets v Southern Brave match, before setting off again down the Grand Union Canal towards London.
Donate here: David Tomlinson is fundraising for British Heart Foundation
He said: “It was so very special and emotional to be reunited with Hayley and return to Trent Bridge for the first time. I’ve been on a journey that had some very dark moments and I’m so grateful to be recovering well.
“It was particularly hard for my wife, Michelle, because she saw me collapse and had to watch while Hayley performed CPR not knowing in those minutes whether I would live or die. Going back plays an important part in the psychological recovery from that trauma.
“I enjoyed the training for the walk. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about nine years ago and know that walking and losing some of my weight is good for my health.”
Hayley said: “David has always thanked me for performing CPR that day, but it was extra special to see him in person back at the ground one year on.
“I had lost a lifelong friend in the weeks leading up to David’s cardiac arrest and was really struggling with how I wasn’t able to do anything to save her, but after I helped save David, I felt more at peace. It’s me who thanks him for letting me do that. I will always be grateful that I was there and knew CPR. I would urge everyone to learn it through the BHF website.”