A Fife ambulance worker is hammering home the importance of learning CPR after her own life was saved by a quick-thinking colleague.
Super fit Sarah Howard Stone’s heart stopped after she suffered a cardiac arrest after a meeting at work in Edinburgh.
But she was brought back to life by paramedic Colin Crookston who leapt into action and immediately began performing chest compressions while someone else called 999.
The 45-year-old is in no doubt she would have died had she not received vital CPR promptly.
And she is now calling on members of the public to ensure they know how to administer the procedure in a bid to save more lives.
The East Wemyss woman had no history of heart problems and had been going to the gym five times a week when she suddenly collapsed on May 16 this year.
There had been none of the stereotypical signs of a heart attack, such as crushing chest pain or pain in the arm.
“I’ve had to explain to so many people that the symptoms you get with a heart attack are different from a cardiac arrest,” said Sarah, who is PA to the Scottish Ambulance Service’s medical director.
“A heart attack is the muscles but mine was all electrical and my heart just literally stopped. That’s a cardiac arrest.”
The only warning she got was a change in her vision and a feeling like she was looking through crackled glass.
“The next thing I knew I was on the floor and Colin was pushing down on my chest and another paramedic, Andrew, was putting a canula in my arm,” she said.
“It was like an out of body experience.”
Sarah suffered another cardiac arrest in hospital with partner Diane by her side and has since learned she has a condition called torsade de pointes which can cause sudden cardiac death.
She has since had a device fitted in her heart, which works as both a pacemaker and a defibrillator to shock it back to life if it stops beating.
“I can’t put into words how important CPR is,” said Sarah.
“My whole family have gone out and learned CPR because of what happened to me and I would like to think I could do what somebody else needed.
“I think everybody should learn CPR because it is so important.”
