A community CPR and defibrillator training day in West Kingsdown led to an emotional reunion between a local mother and the emergency team who saved her life.
Sevda, a 39-year-old wife and mother of two collapsed outside her home on 13 November 2023 as she prepared to leave for work at her dry-cleaning business. Her then 16-year-old daughter noticed the car was still in the driveway and went outside, where she found her mother unconscious in the front garden. She immediately raised the alarm with her father, and the family called 999.
Dispatch Team Leader Adam Shand coordinated a multi-agency response involving Kent Police and Kent Fire and Rescue Service. The Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex also dispatched a rapid response vehicle, with 11 clinicians responding to the incident at the family home.
Sevda was shocked four times with a defibrillator before achieving a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). She was then taken by road to King’s College Hospital in London, where she spent 10 days in recovery.
With the cause of her cardiac arrest unknown, Sevda was later fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) which is a small device that helps regulate abnormal heart rhythms.
Motivated to give back and learn the very skills that helped save her, Sevda attended a local CPR and defibrillator training session led by South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust’s Clinical Education Practitioner, Bethany Fitzgerald.
Following the training day, Sevda visited Dartford Ambulance Station, where she was reunited with members of the original response team, including Dispatch Team Leader, Adam Shand, Paramedic, Hannah Sewell, Associate Ambulance Practitioner Lauren Goldson, and Bethany Fitzgerald.
“I mentioned to Beth that I had an ICD fitted and it really all went from there,” said Sevda. “I never imagined that attending a training session would lead me to reconnect with the people who brought me back to life.”
“It was incredibly moving to meet Sevda,” said Adam. “As dispatchers, we don’t get to meet the people we help. Seeing her doing so well is a reminder of why we do what we do.”
Paramedic Hannah added “To see someone we treated not only recover but take the time to learn CPR herself, that’s really powerful. Sevda is an inspiration to us all.”
Clinical Education Practitioner Bethany Fitzgerald, who delivered the training session, said “Sevda’s story really resonated with the group. Having her there added a personal, real-life impact that you just can’t teach. She’s a true inspiration.”