Northumberland cardiac arrest survivor thanks the crew who saved his life

Chris Browitt, who is from Ellington, was asleep in bed with his wife Alice when he suddenly fell ill.

Mrs Browitt immediately dialled 999, thereby setting in motion a chain of events in which she, paramedics, ambulance dispatchers, health advisers and hospital doctors all played a role in saving his life.

And now, one year on, the couple have finally met some of Chris’s lifesavers to thank them personally.

He said: “I am so pleased that I have managed to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle following my cardiac arrest - all as a result of the excellent response and actions from the ambulance team and the care provided in the intensive care unit.”

Alice added: “I was initially told that he was unlikely to pull through, so I am incredibly relieved that he has made a full recovery and is back doing all the activities he enjoyed prior to his cardiac arrest, as well as new ones.

“The ambulance team were amazing and we just wanted to be able to thank them all for the part they played in saving Chris’s life. We had already been able to thank all the hospital staff who cared for him but without these guys, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do that.

“It’s been wonderful to meet them all and to realise just how lucky Chris was.”

When Alice dialled 999 she got through to call handler Charlotte Saul – who was only four months into the job – who was able to talk her through CPR until the ambulance crew turned up.

“Alice did an amazing job calling 999 and doing exactly what I needed her to,” she said.

“It's so important that the caller listens carefully to what I'm asking and advising. I know it's an awful situation to be in but I'm here to guide them through what they need to do while we get a crew to them, and I was with Alice every step of the way until the crew arrived to take over.”

The night Chris had a cardiac arrest was incredibly busy, with only one ambulance crew available. The category one call was therefore shared on a general broadcast, leading to a crew from Cramlington going to the emergency.

They managed to resuscitate him before a specialist paramedic arrived and after getting to hospital, the retired geophysicist was placed in an induced coma.

He spent three days on life support, but has gone on to make a full recovery.

Call handler Charlotte added: “I'm used to taking consecutive emergency calls and have never had the pleasure of meeting any of those patients or their family, so to see him alive and standing in front of me laughing with Alice put a whole new perspective on my job.

“I hope Chris and his family have a fab time celebrating his one year post-cardiac birthday in April, and wish them well on their future adventures.”