A Crawley man who is celebrating a ‘second chance at life’ has thanked his lifesavers for that he has been able to meet his first grandchild and see two of his children get engaged.
Andrew Bradnam and his family met some of his lifesavers recently at South East Coast Ambulance Service’s (SECAmb’s) Gatwick Make Ready Centre at a heartfelt reunion.
With only around one in 10 people surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests across the UK, Andrew knows just how lucky he is to be alive.
Andrew was at home on 21 February 2024 when he started experiencing weakness in his left arm and pain in his upper back.
Trainee Associate Ambulance Practitioner (TAAP), Stephanie Janczenia and former colleague, Leo Potenza, arrived first on scene, however Andrew’s symptoms quickly deteriorated, and he went into cardiac arrest.
The pair jumped into action, delivering crucial CPR and a life-saving shock with a defibrillator as Resource Dispatcher, Helen Robinson, coordinated further support. Urgent Care Practitioner, George Murray and Paramedics, Jasmine White and Ross Stewart arrived on scene a few minutes later to assist.
Andrew was taken to Royal Sussex County Hospital where he spent a further two weeks recovering and underwent major heart surgery having found out that a heart attack was the cause of his cardiac arrest.
Jasmine said: “It was wonderful to meet Andrew and his family and hear about the exciting things they are looking forward to this year. It’s a special reminder of what we do and the difference we make.”
Andrew said: “I’m so thankful to everyone that saved me that day. Thanks to them, I’ve been able to see two of my children get engaged and I got to meet my first grandchild. Surviving a cardiac arrest was really eye-opening and I’m so grateful to still be here. I’ve been prioritising my health since and am the healthiest I’ve been in a while. I can’t thank the team enough that have given me a second chance at life.”
Charlotte, Andrew’s daughter, added: “I just want to thank everyone so much for saving my dad’s life. Their actions mean he is still here with us, and it means everything. We’re all so grateful that we get more time together as a family and can’t thank them enough for everything they did.”