A Corby mother has been reunited with the East Midlands Ambulance Service crew who helped save both her and her baby boy after she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in the early hours of 1 July 2025.
Nwadimma Chioma Okorie, 37, was seven months pregnant, excited to welcome her third son with husband Charles. The evening prior to her cardiac arrest, Nwadimma felt normal in herself, just a little hot with the summer temperatures so decided to get some fresh air in the living room where she fell asleep.
Wanting Nwadimma to rest, Charles left her to sleep while he headed upstairs later that evening, however not wanting her to be alone, he went down to check on her and they both decided to head to bed.
The decision to check on his wife turned out to be a fateful one by Charles as just after midnight, everything was turned upside down.
Charles said:
“At around 12:30am, Nwadimma let out a sharp scream.
“She suddenly started gasping for air and then went into a seizure. Froth came from her mouth, and her body began to stretch. I shouted her name and tried to lay her on the floor to clear her airway.”
Hearing what was happening, their two sons, Richard, 9 and Kesean, 8, rushed into the room. While Charles worked to help his wife and sensing his fathers panic, Richard took the phone and calmly spoke to Emergency Medical Advisor Chloe Alvey who was arranging help as quickly as possible.
A relative staying with the family, Olumide Alaba, helped Charles carry Nwadimma downstairs. By then they realised, she had stopped breathing.
“I ran outside to start the car, thinking I might have to drive her to the hospital myself” Charles said. “But just minutes later, the police arrived. They asked for her name and immediately checked her pulse.”
PC James Condon and PC Joseph Wood of the Northamptonshire Roads Policing Team were on a mobile patrol in the Corby area when the Force Control Room circulated the report from a child caller, mum not breathing. Realising they were just round the corner, they quickly headed to the scene.
Learning that Nwadimma was seven months pregnant, the officers began life saving CPR in a bid to give her the best chance of survival possible as the crews of Duty Commander Matthew Crawford, Specialist Practitioner Kate Kempinska, Paramedic Jack Gane, Student Paramedic Abbie Thompson, Technician Lisa Hawkins and Technician Wendy Honour were making their way to scene.
Matthew Crawford, Duty Commander said:
“I think it is the call that anyone working in the ambulance service would dread to see though these are very rare. Thanks to the actions of the family, the police officers and our ambulance crews giving early CPR and working together to provide the best possible care, Nwadimma was back fighting that morning.
“Nwadimma and baby Bryan are fine now which has been absolutely lovely to see and meet them again in far more positive circumstances.”
Nwadimma was blue lighted to Kettering General Hospital, where doctors performed an emergency caesarean section to deliver baby Bryan Nwachinemere Okorie. She was placed in the Intensive Care Unit, while Bryan was taken to the neonatal unit.
She spent three days in ICU before being transferred to the coronary unit. With no previous history of heart problems, cardiologists decided she would need a pacemaker to prevent future cardiac events and within a week, she underwent surgery to fit the device.
At first, Nwadimma had no memory of the incident, however she gradually came to understand what had happened with the help of her family.
She said:
“It took me a while to piece things together about what happened that day through the help of my husband and children. I have done so much research into what could have caused my cardiac arrest because I want to get to the bottom of it.
“I do sometimes struggle with remembering things and find I have to write a lot down now. My sons help by keeping a book of things I need to remember so they can remind me if I do forget something.
“I am now focused on moving forward and I want to use my experience to help others.”
Baby Bryan spent 60 days in the neonatal unit and is now thriving. The family credits the fast response of emergency services and the dedicated care of the hospital staff for saving both Nwadimma and Bryan.
The couple said:
“The police, the ambulance crews, the doctors and nurses at KGH, they are our heroes. We are forever grateful.
Since her cardiac arrest, Nwadimma has been under regular observation by both neurology and cardiology teams. Despite the initial challenges, her recovery has been steady and positive.
Charles reflected on the journey since Nwadimma’s cardiac arrest:
“Our move to the UK was for growth and happiness. We never imagined facing something like this. But I’ve stayed strong for my family, and I thank God every day for giving us a second chance.
“We want to thank everyone who helped us that night. Because of them, my wife is alive and our son is here with us.”
Nwadimma said:
“I feel so pleased to see the team again and I am so grateful for their quick response. If it wasn’t for that, I don’t think the outcome would have been me standing here today.
“My children are so happy seeing me around them, my husband is always happy seeing me around and I am happy being with my family and that is because of those who helped me. The people that the crews help know the worth of their work and what they do.”
Would you know what to do if someone suffered a cardiac arrest?
Visit the Community Trainer section of our website to learn how you can book a free one-hour training session with our volunteers, who teach life-saving CPR and how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).