Nikki Sanderson has been flooded with support from her celebrity pals and followers after she shared a recent terrifying ordeal her family faced when her mum suffered a cardiac arrest and 'died' at home before being saved by a paramedic.
The Hollyoaks star took to Instagram to share her mum, Jude's, story as she thanked the emergency services and those who cared for her mum at Fairfield and Salford Royal. She shared a photo of Jude alongside Howard, the paramedic who responded to Nikki's family's emergency call following a special meeting.
"This is Howard, Howard is the first responder who saved my mums life," Nikki movingly typed. "A year ago today our world came crashing down. In the early evening of November 14th my brother and sister in law had a extremely distressing call from my mum incoherently saying she was in a lot of pain.
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"My brother, Anthony and I rushed to her house as it’s completely out of character for mum to complain of feeling ill. Less than 5 minutes after we got to mums, she went into cardiac arrest and she died. We immediately started CPR under the guidance of the 999 operator who was so supportive and calm in the most scary, traumatic time of our lives."
Nikki, who stars as Maxine Minniver in Channel 4's Hollyoaks, wnrt on to explain: "Minutes later Howard arrived, he was expecting to attend to a woman who was having a fit so it was a huge shock to him when he entered the room, but with his quick thinking and incredible knowledge he began working on mum to get a pulse. He didn’t give up, he fought to save her even though the odds were against her, he wouldn’t call time of death as he wanted to get her back…. And eventually, he did, along with the ambulance crew that later joined him.
"Mum subsequently had another cardiac arrest when arriving at hospital and the incredible team there worked on her for just under 49 minutes to bring her back and save her life. This last year has been an incredibly difficult journey for us to navigate with all the complications that arose, but mum has fought hard throughout, refusing to give up."
She ended her post: "There are no words as to how thankful we are to Howard, the north west ambulance team, and all the wonderful surgeons, doctors, nurses and hospital staff at Fairfield and Salford Royal who saved my mums life and cared for her like she was a part of their own family. There’s a long road ahead but with our fantastic nhs around us, we are sure mum will have a wonderful future."
Nikki's mum was among the first to comment, with Jude writing: "Such lovely words @niknaksanderson I’m one very lucky lady and I feel truly blessed that I had you all fighting my corner. I wouldn’t be here without all the love and care I received. Thank you to everyone who has commented with such lovely words . I have a second chance and I am truly grateful . Every day is a gift and I treasure them. Listen to your body and don’t ignore signs or put off until another day. Life is so very precious."
And Howard himself also returned the praise to Nikki and her brother, James, for their crucial response to their mum's ill health. "Thank you for your lovely kind words," he said. "What you didn't really mention is the part you and James played that night. With out you both doing such excellent CPR I would not have been able to do my job.
"I have read the comments from all your brilliant followers but for me, yourself and James were the real heros that night. As a Paramedic, I was just in the right place at the right time. Your mum is an amazing lady and I now have her as a friend forever."
Nikki's former Coronation Street co-stars also shared their support. Jack P Shepherd, who plays David Platt in the ITV soap, said: "Unbelievable story Nik, very scary indeed. What an Amazing man." Maria Windass star Samia Loncghambon shared a string of hearts and added: "Give Jude a big cuddle from me Nik (and one for yourself)."
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