A Fetcham man who didn’t realise he was having a heart attack has thanked a South East Coast Ambulance (SECAmb) crew for their rapid actions and patient care which helped give him a second chance at life.
Simon Wadham visited Banstead ambulance station to thank Samantha Wisden and Frances Borrell for getting him to St George’s Hospital for a life-saving operation.
“A lot of people were involved in keeping me alive that day, starting with yourselves, and I am so grateful.”
The plumber and heating engineer hadn’t realised he was having a heart attack in August last year.
He had tried to ignore a persistent back pain for more than a week before the incident, not realising it was a symptom of a possible heart condition.
“I do a physical job, I’m getting older, you just think it’s that,” he said.
On August 6, the pain intensified. “It was just below the shoulder blades, right in the middle of the back. It was like being stabbed with a skewer,” he said.
Simon got a lift to Epsom Hospital. “On the way there I didn’t think I was having a heart attack. At one point, I’d considered driving myself.”
Staff at the hospital quickly realised Simon was experiencing a blockage in the heart’s biggest artery, sometimes described as a ‘widowmaker’ heart attack. Immediate treatment is crucial for a chance of survival.
Sammi and Fran were the crew tasked to get him by ambulance to a life-saving operation at St George’s Hospital in London.
Simon’s heart rate kept spiking during the emergency journey, to the point that Fran applied defibrillator pads to his chest just in case a shock was required.
“I think back, I remember that journey so clearly, and I think to myself I could have died in the ambulance,” he said. “But you were so kind, so professional. You were talking to me the whole time, helping keep me calm. I have had a second chance - not everyone gets one of those.”
He made immediate lifestyle changes following the incident, and has lost more than three stone.
“You don’t notice the slow deterioration in your own health,” he said. “I knew I was a bit overweight, and I’d been smoking since I was a teenager. But I didn’t think my lifestyle was that unhealthy – that’s all changed now.”
He goes to the gym, maintains a better diet and, despite having smoked for 38 years, stubbed the habit out overnight.
“If you can’t kick it after surviving a ‘widowmaker’ heart attack, I don’t know what else would motivate you.”
Simon has two children, a daughter aged 20 and son who turned 18 four months after the incident. “During the celebrations I kept thinking, I nearly didn’t see any of this. I’ve been so lucky, and am so grateful for all those who helped me.”
He will be taking part in the London to Brighton cycle ride in September, raising funds for the Epsom Cardiac Rehab Unit who have assisted his recovery.
The SECAmb crew were pleased to see Simon again after he got in touch.
“It was lovely to see Simon looking so well,” said Sammi. “And to hear all the changes he’s made to his lifestyle, that’s really impressive.”
“To know he’s doing so well now, to know there’s been such a good outcome, it really means a lot to us,” added Fran.
Simon has also been on a CPR course, learning the techniques that could make the lifesaving difference for someone else suffering an out of hospital cardiac event.
“We were told it’s better off having a go than doing nothing. You’re giving that person a better chance of survival,” he said. “I think you’ve got to be ready to give something back, if you can.”
* Early intervention is vital for increasing the chances of someone surviving an out of hospital cardiac arrest. To learn how you can make a difference, visit SECAmb’s webpage for lifesaving skills and support at CPR – NHS South East Coast Ambulance.