Student paramedic saves man's life while shopping after he suffers heart attack in Blyth supermarket

Stacey Thain was shopping with her partner and young son in Blyth when another shopper had a heart attack and collapsed in the aisle.

The 33-year-old from Stakeford went into “autopilot” and stepped in to assist the man, who was not moving and blue in the face, while the ambulance crew was on its way.

Stacey said: “Another shopper had already called for an ambulance, so I started CPR then asked a first aider at the store if they had a defibrillator, which they did.

“He asked everyone to stand back, and I used the defibrillator to shock the patient. Then I carried out CPR again before the ambulance crew arrived.

“I stepped away and tried to carry on with my shopping, which was not easy given what had just happened.

“Then the paramedic called me while I was at the till, so I went back, and I saw that the patient was awake. He wanted to thank me, he held my hand and asked my name.

“The paramedic told me if I had not been there it would have been a different outcome, that I saved the man’s life.”

The man was then taken to Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington by the ambulance crew.

Health advisor at North East Ambulance Service, Bethany Hackers, said: “Cardiac arrest can strike anybody at any time in any place, and every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by 10%.

“On average, we support around 16,000 callers to give CPR over the phone.

“When taking a 999 call, I ask the caller if the patient is breathing abnormally because this can mean the patient is going into cardiac arrest.

“In this instance, the student paramedic recognised the signs of cardiac arrest and needed little to no help with the basic life support advice, but I gave words of encouragement throughout the call.

“In these types of calls, it is always nerve racking because someone’s life is immediately in danger.

“However, I did feel relieved that the student paramedic was there, and she very quickly put the intervention in place.”

Stacey only started her paramedic training at the University of Sunderland in May, but this event reaffirmed that she is on the right career path.

She said: “I know I am doing what I am supposed to do. I know I can handle a stressful real-life situation, putting every lesson I have been taught so far into action.

“It still has not sunk in that I am the reason he is alive.”

Mark Willis, associate head of school for nursing and health studies at the university, added: “The university is very proud of Stacey in her immediate actions that no doubt directly saved the life of the patient, and this is testament to her commitment, dedication, professionalism, and clinical standards that she has learned throughout her studies to date.”