SECAmb colleagues were over the moon to meet a father of three who suffered a heart attack while taking part in a charity football match.
Craig Minnican aged 33 from Cliffe in Kent, met with his lifesavers, Emergency Medical Advisor, Chelsea Williams, Resource Dispatcher, Simon Field, Trainee Associate Ambulance Practitioner, Olivia Godman and Newly Qualified Paramedic, Harry Topsfield at Thameside Ambulance Station on Friday, 6 September.
Craig was keen to say thank you after he became unwell while participating in a five-a-side charity football match on Saturday, 13 July 2024 at Corinthian Football Club in Sevenoaks to raise funds for Ellenor Hospice charity; the only charity in the county that provides hospice care for people of all ages.
Craig arrived at the pitch, raring to go and feeling his normal self. After being on the pitch for 20 minutes, he was substituted and went to sit on the bench to rest.
Craig went to sit down on the bench and rest his arms as they started hurting him. Little did he know, this was the start of the heart attack.
His boss, who was playing alongside him at the match, alerted a medic at the pitch who quickly rang 999 to get help for Craig.
Simon was quick to dispatch both Olivia and Harry to the scene, who arrived within 12 minutes of the 999 call.
Together they stabilised Craig and kept him conscious before transporting him to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford where he spent five days.
Whilst in William Harvey, it was discovered that the cause of Craig’s heart attack was a blocked artery. He has since had three stents fitted which widen the artery, allowing blood to flow through more freely. Various tests have also now confirmed that Craig is a type 1 diabetic.
Since the incident, Craig has suffered several side effects, including angina which is when a person experiences attacks of chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart. This has meant he hasn’t been able to return to his job working at a removals company.
Craig said: “I went to sit down and rest my arms as they started hurting me, little did I know within 10 minutes of this my chest felt like it was ready to pop. I was having a heart attack, 33 years old having a heart attack, safe to say I don’t really remember much else after this.”
NQP Harry said: “This is the first time any of us had the pleasure of meeting a survivor, and so we can’t thank Craig enough for taking the time to reach out. Our roles can be very challenging, and so the fact that Craig took the time to come and meet us in person really made our day.”
Simon said: “When I got the email to notify me that Craig wanted to meet, I was over the moon. I had a heart attack in 2011, and so I was able to sympathise with Craig and what he’s going through.”
Emergency medical advisor, Chelsea Williams said: “When I took the 999 call for a 33-year-old healthy male, you don’t instantly think he’s having a heart attack.”
Olivia said: “We arrived on scene and immediately did an Electrocardiogram (ECG) to assess Craig’s heart. Harry and I are often crewed together and so we could immediately tell what the other was thinking and that we needed to get Craig to hospital urgently.”
Craig said: “I absolutely love football but I’m so worried to play again because of my health. The heart attack has completely changed my life and made me think about things very differently. I can’t thank Harry, Olivia, Simon, and Chelsea enough, it was amazing to meet them.”