Thanks to the swift actions of South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) clinicians, Crawley man, Jeffrey Fox, is celebrating five more years of life – counting – after suffering a cardiac arrest.
With fewer than one in 10 people surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, now 65-year-old Jeff knows just how lucky he is. Five years on from the incident, he and his wife, Loraine, recently reunited with some of the clinicians who helped save his life, sharing just how much those extra years have meant.
Jeff and Lorraine recently visited SECAmb’s Gatwick Make Ready Centre, where they met Paramedic, Cheryl Laflain, and Resource Dispatcher, Liz Gibson – two members of the team involved in Jeff’s care on Friday, 4 September 2020.
In the early hours of that morning, Jeff woke with severe shoulder pain he had been experiencing for nearly a week, believing it to be a minor injury. But as the pain intensified, Loraine grew concerned and called 999.
Resource Dispatcher, Liz, deployed an ambulance and within 10 minutes, Cheryl and crew mate Jennie were on scene.
Cheryl said: “Jeff was clearly very unwell when we arrived and so we began to treat him immediately suspecting a heart attack. On the way to Royal Sussex County Hospital, Jeff went into cardiac arrest, so we called for back-up urgently and thankfully, alongside the critical care paramedics that came out to us, managed to revive him and get him to the hospital.
“Although this incident was five years ago, I remember it still clearly now, so it was special to meet Jeff again and hear the incredible things he’s been able to achieve since. It’s a real reminder of the difference we can make.”
Jeff was taken into emergency theatre when the team got to the hospital however suffered a second cardiac arrest as a stent was fitted to unblock his artery.
Despite the seriousness of his condition, Jeff made a remarkable recovery and was discharged from hospital just two days later.
Reflecting on the impact of that day, Jeff said: “I genuinely wouldn’t be here without them. In the five years since, I’ve seen four more grandchildren born, shared many happy times with friends and family, and supported them through some sad times too. Recently I retired and Loraine and I celebrated 42 years of marriage with a dream Hawaiian cruise. All of those moments, past, present and future are gifts from the special team who saved me and I’ll be eternally grateful.”
Loraine added: “That morning was terrifying but from the moment I made the call, everyone was calm, professional and reassuring. I’ll never be able to thank the team enough for giving us these extra years together.”
Resource Dispatcher, Liz also shared how special it was to reunite with Jeff and Loraine: “I’ve been at SECAmb for 25 years and this was my first time meeting a survivor. The chain of survival following a cardiac arrest is so important, from the phone call to our Emergency Medical Advisors triaging the call through to us ensuring we coordinate resources appropriately to get help there as fast as possible to the team on scene. It was wonderful meeting Jeff and Lorraine and hear about what they’ve been able to do since.”
Jeff’s story highlights not only the life-saving work of ambulance crews, but also the cruciality of fast responses in emergency situations. Early CPR and defibrillation significantly improve survival chances, and everyone can learn these skills through free, accessible tools such as RevivR and Lifesaver – simple training that could one day help save a life.