A WOMAN has told the story of the day she saved her husband's life to highlight the importance of cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training as part of Restart a Heart Day.

Cumbrian Jacqueline Nicol, a patient and public panel member of the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), had been a community first responder (CFR) with enhanced skills for over 10 years - but never expected that one day she would have to use her CPR skills off duty and on a member of her own family.

It was a very normal day when her husband John started to feel unwell. He went for a quick lie down before Jacqueline found him in an agitated state.

His pulse was strong and pounding then suddenly he said his wrist hurt and within seconds he went into cardiac arrest.

“Luckily I knew exactly what to do," said Jacqueline. "I got him on the floor and I started compressions on his chest immediately whilst the ambulance was called and my automated external defibrillator (AED) was brought to me.

“The time I was on my own doing CPR seemed absolutely ages, very stressful and tiring. When my daughter returned we put on the AED and both continued CPR. The AED told me to give a shock to my husband and then we continued CPR until the ambulance and air ambulance arrived.”

Jacqueline saved her husband’s life.

In 2020, NWAS treated 3,072 patients who had suffered a cardiac arrest. 83.9 per cent of patients suffered one at home. There are more out-of-hospital arrests than in a healthcare setting and it is only the quick action of bystanders that has enabled many more to survive.

Jacqueline continued: “Please take the time to learn CPR and find out where your local, public defibrillator is situated. You may save someone’s life and you never know who it might be!”

For each minute without defibrillation, a person’s survival chances decrease by 10 per cent, so it’s vitally important that communities are empowered to invest in CPR skills and ensure defibrillators are available.

NWAS has made a commitment to ensure members of the public have the opportunity to learn lifesaving skills. Over the past few years it has taught thousands of school children CPR; set up shop at theme parks and shopping centres so that visitors have a chance to learn; and even managed to get into some premier league football clubs to do some mass awareness training – even making it on the big screen at a Manchester City match.

NWAS would like public areas, communities and workplaces to have publicly accessible defibrillators – otherwise known as defibs. These are placed in a cabinet that can be accessed 24 hours a day by anyone who needs to use one. In an emergency, the cabinet is accessed via a code given to the person who rings 999.