Swimmer who suffered cardiac arrest thanks those who saved his life

An Onchan man who suffered a cardiac arrest whilst swimming at the NSC in July has returned to thank lifeguards and paramedics who saved his life.

81-year-old Roy Higgins had been swimming at the centre on July 14 when he suddenly became ill, at which point pool-side staff quickly responded.

Having assessed the situation and called 999, lifeguards used their training to perform CPR, before using a defibrillator to successfully restart his heart.

The team continued to care for Roy until the emergency services arrived just seven minutes later, and once in a stable condition he was taken to hospital showing good signs of recovery.

Mr Higgins says: "It was really fantastic to meet the guardians of my life. Hopefully they are as pleased with the outcome as I am. 

"I’m in awe of everyone involved and this is a very emotional time. I’d like to give my eternal gratitude to the full team, without their training and actions I wouldn’t be here to tell the tale."

Meanwhile, Senior Paramedic Officer for Isle of Man Ambulance Service, Sean Crellin, adds: "The NSC team did an incredible job and it is clear that they put into practice their regular first aid training.

"They correctly followed the defibrillator’s verbal instructions and promptly delivered three shocks to Roy, which resulted in his heart beating again."