A Leicestershire man today on World Restart A Heart Day has been reunited with the emergency crews who helped save him after he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at his workplace.
Clive Wheeler was just 54 years old when on 2 August 2024, he collapsed in front of his wife Kelly at the outdoor sports facility the couple run in Ashby-de-la-Zouch.
Kelly, who was teaching that morning, noticed something wasn’t quite right with her husband, concerned by his pale and grey appearance. Clive, who had been busy working on site, complained of indigestion and returned to the office where Kelly later found him having been sick and still feeling off. Immediately she knew Clive wasn’t just under the weather, but seriously unwell.
She said:
“I called our daughter to come quickly and then rang 999, telling the call handler I believed Clive was having a heart attack.”
Kelly was put through to Emergency Medical Dispatcher, Michelle Bower explaining the symptoms Clive was suffering. At the time of the call, Clive was conscious and so explained to Michelle in his own words how he was feeling, however while Clive was speaking to her, Kelly watched in horror as his speech slowed and he suddenly slumped in his chair unconscious, his head and eyes rolling back.
Relaying what had just happened to Michelle, Kelly sprang into action getting Clive onto the floor. Michelle instructed Kelly to begin CPR and access a defibrillator if one was nearby. Remembering her first aid training, Kelly took a deep breath, positioned her hands and began chest compressions.
“I picked Clive up and placed him on the floor. I grabbed our defibrillator and put it on him. I couldn’t remember the song to keep rhythm, so I just kept saying ‘one, two, three’ out loud to focus myself.
“I kept talking to Clive, telling him to listen to my voice. I was terrified wondering if I was doing it right, if I was hurting him, if I was going too fast or too slow, but Michelle reassured me throughout.”
While Kelly was fighting to give her husband the best chance at survival, the EMAS crew of Paramedics Daniel Janas and Phillip Beecham were making their way to the scene, followed by the Elite EMS crew of Emergency Care Assistant Michelle Smith and Technician Joanne Payne.
When the crews arrived, Kelly felt a wave of relief but also fear.
“I saw the green uniform and thought, we’re safe now, but also, is my husband dead?”
The defibrillator delivered a shock before the crews took over, providing advanced life support. Clive began breathing again but had swallowed his tongue, prompting a hurried effort to clear his airway. Moments later, the air ambulance arrived with Critical Care Paramedic Karl Bexon on board.
Emergency staff managed to stabilise Clive and transported him to the Royal Derby Hospital Coronary Care Unit. Kelly followed behind with two police officers who reassured her throughout the journey.
Clive describes the memories of that day as ‘fuzzy’, with little knowledge of what had happened and how he ended up in hospital.
“My memory around the day of my cardiac arrest is vague, with many of the memories being when I came round in hospital. This was somewhat of a hammer blow.
“As I gained my senses, I recall seeing my son Jack and Kelly sitting on the bed with me. As I looked around, I had family members all in the room, but then when I looked down at my arms seeing all the wires and tubes connected, instant panic set in.
“I knew that I hadn’t been feeling well for quite some time, but it took me a while to realise at that moment I was in hospital. To then be told I had cardiac arrest was very overwhelming.
“As the drugs wore off, I was told what had happened and that my superhero of a wife had saved my life.”
After surgery to fit a stent, the surgeon showed Kelly images of Clive’s artery before and after the procedure. He praised her for delivering perfect CPR.
She said:
“I still couldn’t believe it. People kept saying I saved Clive’s life, but I thought the emergency services did that. It took me twelve months to say I did save his life.”
Clive spent six days in hospital before returning home to be with his family.
Since Clive’s cardiac arrest, the couple have made significant lifestyle changes, losing weight and improving their diet, speaking openly about their experience to raise awareness of CPR and the importance of having a defibrillator readily available.
“We’re passionate that CPR and first aid training should be part of the curriculum in schools and mandatory in workplaces,” Kelly said.
“Every building should have a defibrillator. It’s a duty of care.
“I’m grateful I knew what to do and we are so thankful for the crews that came to our help on that day. They are our heroes and we will never forget what they did for us and our family.”
Clive added:
“There are no words to describe just how important it is to learn some basic first aid, to have a go at CPR training and to understand how easy it is to use a defib.
“Without having our own defib and without Kelly having CPR knowledge then I would 100% definitely not be with us now, this is fact.”
Meeting up with Clive and Kelly today, Joanne and Michelle said:
“It has been amazing seeing them again today. The emotions were very high this morning, but it has been lovely to catch up with them in different circumstances.
“To see Clive bounce out that doorway where just over a year ago he was seriously unwell, has been joyous and to see Kelly and give her a big hug for what she did that day has been amazing.”
Would you know how to save someone's life if they suffered a cardiac arrest?
Visit the Community Trainer section of our website to find out how you can book a free one hour training session with our Community Trainers who volunteer across the East Midlands teaching the life-saving skill of CPR and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).