A RUNNER who survived a cardiac arrest has met the paramedic and doctor team who came to his aid.
David Pennington, 41, from Whitehaven, who regularly ran several miles a week, had arrived at Sellafield, his place of work, when he suddenly slumped to the floor on 9 April.
He said: “I can’t remember anything from that Saturday apart from showing my pass on the way into the gate at Sellafield.
“I had ran 14 miles on Thursday and six miles on Friday, so it was mind boggling to go from that to having a cardiac arrest on Saturday and waking up next Thursday, not having a clue where I was at, and what was going on.
“I’ve been told I walked into the office and just slumped onto the floor and a lad did CPR on me. The fire and rescue service and an ambulance were called, the guy from fire and rescue is my neighbour and he delivered six shocks with a defibrillator and brought me back.”
The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) flew to the scene and put David into a medically-induced coma before airlifting him to the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle.
He said: “My body kept shutting down on the way out to the air ambulance on the helipad and my body was agitated and I was very confused so they made the decision to put me in a coma then got me to Carlisle.”
David was awoken from his coma six days later and found out he has dilated cardiomyopathy, which is a type of heart disease. He has since been fitted with a defibrillator.
He said: “The nurses who were at the hospital on the day I came in, saw me later on and were amazed that I was walking and talking as if nothing had happened. Even my GP was surprised at how well I was doing.
“I’m finding the mental side of things hard. I’ve been doing physio and rehab and I’ve been told to forget what I could do and focus on what I can do.
“I’m looking at getting my fitness back and have been able to go on walks and run on a treadmill.”
Since the incident David has fundraised for GNAAS by hosting a coffee morning and raised £900.
He recently visited the charity’s base at Langwathby, Penrith and met Dr Theo Weston MBE and paramedic Sarah Graham who treated him on scene and thanked them for their help.
Dr Weston MBE said: “It was so nice to see David again as well as meet his wife and young son at our base. This is what we do our job for, to help people like David and keep families together.”
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