'It is amazing he was able to do that at his age, he was alone and terrified but without a doubt his actions saved his daddy’s life.'
A Northern Irish couple have opened up about the moment their 12-year-old son saved his father's life by performing CPR after he suffered a cardiac arrest.
Recalling the day Paddy had his heart attack Nicola said: “We were in Donegal visiting family at Easter. That morning we had been playing football on the beach with the kids. We were in the car coming back when Paddy said, ‘Stop the car, I don’t feel well.’ It came completely out of the blue.” Nicola continued: “The ambulance call handler was on the phone the entire time and they were very helpful and supportive. They advised us to get Disprin and told us how much to give Paddy. That helped, he felt things easing but was still in a lot of pain and discomfort.”
She said: “A few days after Paddy came home from hospital I was at the gym. Our son Emmet, who was 12 at the time, phoned and said, ‘Daddy’s on the floor’. Paddy was having a cardiac arrest. I told Emmet to ring 999 and just dropped everything and ran out of the gym. “People may be scared of having to do CPR, but they shouldn’t be, it could save a life. Every minute matters in these sorts of circumstances. If Emmet hadn’t of been there and we weren’t able to start and continue CPR Paddy wouldn’t be here.”
“Before his first heart attack he was a smoker, not a heavy smoker, but he stopped immediately. Although he doesn’t drink, he would have eaten a lot of sugary and fatty foods to keep his energy levels up at work and you wouldn’t have seen him eating a lot of fruit or vegetables. He eats completely differently now, much more healthily.”
“I think it’s important that men hear this message. Sometimes we are less likely to ask for help and support, but it is important we do. Looking back now, it could have been a different story if I had got checked out when I was feeling constantly tired after work.”
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