A grandfather from Nottinghamshire will be reunited with the emergency team who saved his life, after he suffered a cardiac arrest while sat next to his granddaughter. On November 9, 2023, a seemingly random decision by 67-year-old Chris Handley ended up saving his life.

Deciding to stay longer at his daughter's house rather than saying his goodbyes, Chris sat on the sofa with his seven-year-old granddaughter Summer whilst she ate her dinner. Eight days later he woke up in intensive care, having suffered a massive cardiac arrest.

Chris said: “I didn’t feel a thing, going into cardiac arrest is like someone flicking off a light switch. If I'd have been home alone, I wouldn’t be alive today for sure.”

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His daughter April recalls the event vividly. She said: “I was in the kitchen when I heard summer say, ‘stop pretending to be asleep grandad!’ I came in to see what was happening and my dad was gargling, snoring and pale in colour.”

Then Chris’s breathing stopped, April dialled 999 and emergency medical advisor Julie Hill answered. Julie identified that Chris was in cardiac arrest and assured April she wasn’t alone in the situation. Fortunately, April is an ex-police officer and has had regular training in CPR and other life-saving skills.

She went on to say: “Despite having the instinct of knowing what to do in this situation, it was completely different this time because it was my dad in trouble, it was really upsetting for Summer when she realised grandad wasn’t just being silly.

“I had to try and comfort her and taker her mind off what was happening by getting her to unlock the door for the crew”.

Just six minutes after April had dialled 999, paramedic Ben King and emergency care assistant Elliot Cross arrived at the scene. Followed by paramedic Tamsin Ryan, and critical care paramedic Sam Cooper from The Air Ambulance Service.

Paramedic Ben said: “April did an amazing CPR which resulted in Chris’s heart being in a shockable rhythm, after five shocks from the defibrillator we managed to get Chris’s heart beating again.”

Chris was taken to Queens Medical Centre Hospital in Nottingham where he had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator fitted, followed by six weeks of rehabilitation sessions.

Five months on and Chris’ recovery has gone well, and he’s returned to swimming three times a week, exploring the great outdoors and spending quality time with his family. A reunion will be taking place between Chris and the crew who saved his life.

A cardiac arrest or heart attack can happen to anyone at any time, so it’s important to know what to do if someone you’re with has a medical emergency.

Learn how to do CPR – receiving CPR within the first three to four minutes massively increases a person's chances of survival and reduces the risk of the person living with a brain injury if they do survive. The British Heart Foundation has really helpful resources on CPR and defibrillators.

Call 999 – they will be able to advise you on how to perform CPR and if possible tell you where the closest public access defibrillator is.

If you ever experience chest pains, try not to physically exert yourself too much. Most chest pain wont be anything serious but you should get medical advice just in case. If your chest begins to feel tight or heavy or rapidly starts progressing to other parts of your body e.g. arms, neck, back or jaw you could be having a heart attack – call 999.

If you have had a heart attack its important to rest while you wait for the ambulance to avoid unnecessary strain on your heart. When you call 999 you may be advised to take Aspirin as it will help thin your blood and improve blood flow to your heart.