A Bognor man and avid runner recently reunited with the life-savers who came to his aid when he suffered a cardiac arrest following one of his regular runs.

Now 75-years-old, Philip Heath-Coleman and his family visited SECAmb’s Tangmere Make Ready Centre on Friday, 4 April where they met Associate Ambulance Practitioner (AAP), Jacqueline Nisbet, and Dispatch Team Leader (DTL), Peter Coldicott – two of the team who helped save his life.

On 11 November 2022, after returning home from one of his usual runs, Philip began to feel unwell. He quickly headed to Grove House Surgery, Rose Green, after he developed a cold sweat and started to shake.

A doctor was quick to see him and took an electrocardiogram (ECG) of his heart. Noticing something unusual, the doctor called for an ambulance to take him to hospital for further checks.

Moments after getting into the ambulance, Philip deteriorated and went into cardiac arrest.

Philip said: “I just remember feeling really tired. I thought I had just drifted off to sleep for a moment. I didn’t realise what had happened to me. Without the ambulance crew that was there, I may not have survived. It’s been a great pleasure to meet some of them again today and I can’t thank them enough for everything.”

Having received a call from the doctor, Philip’s wife, Janet, rushed to the GP surgery and one of their sons, Michael, and daughter-in-law, Ceili, arrived shortly after as the ambulance crew tried to revive Philip.

Janet said: “I still can’t believe what happened. Everyone that knows Philip was so shocked. He is one of the fittest, most active people we know. I’m so deeply grateful to everyone that helped him that day. What they did means we were able to have Philip home for Christmas and get to spend many more years as a family together.”

Philip and Janet’s daughter, Jenny, added: “As an advanced clinical practitioner nurse, I know how important those moments are following a cardiac arrest. I’ve wanted to be able to thank the emergency responders that saved my dad for a while, and I’m so pleased my family, and I got the chance to do that today. I can’t thank them and the doctor enough for what they did for my dad. Thanks to them, we are so lucky to have him still here with us.”

Associate Ambulance Practitioner, Jacqueline, was one of the ambulance crew first on scene when Philip went into cardiac arrest.

She said: “Although this incident happened three years ago, it is one that sticks with me. I was so happy to meet Philip and his family today and see how well he is doing. It’s a really special reminder of what we do and I’m so pleased that this was a good outcome.”

Philip was taken to Queen Alexandra hospital in Portsmouth where he stayed for a further four days, making a remarkable recovery following major heart surgery.

Whilst he is no longer currently running, Philip has been enjoying many walks and is still keeping active.   

Knowing CPR can make all the difference to the outcome for someone, like Philip, that suffers a cardiac arrest. Find out how you can learn basic life support here.