A cyclist pedalling along a busy Glasgow road had a sudden heart attack and was "dead for 16 minutes" before a close friend resuscitated him and brought him back to life.
Niaz Haq called a close friend - who is a doctor - after his health took a turn for the worse on November 21, in 2021. The 49-year-old had been cycling for 52 miles before having a heart attack outside the BP garage on Mearns Road, in Newton Mearns.
He fell unconscious and was resuscitated by his doctor friend, who arrived at the scene within six minutes, before paramedics arrived and rushed him to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where he underwent an operation.
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It took four months for Niaz, who lives in Giffnock, to recover and get back onto his bicycle.
He told GlasgowLive: "It’s really surreal when he (friend) says traffic was stopped. Luckily, he says there was an off duty police officer who was controlling the traffic on the busy main road.
"I had no awareness and was dead for 16 minutes. I feel really lucky that things happened to allow my best friend to come and save my life.
"Post-operation I could barely breathe or walk. Walking upstairs was difficult and walking five minutes was difficult.
"It took a couple of months to get steady and I didn’t have memory for a while. Thankfully, my cognitive skills came back after six months.
"In my Asian community, we have a high tendency to have heart disease and diabetes. Cycling made a difference as my heart was much fitter and I am a healthier weight."
More than a year later, Niaz - alongside seven other riders - will be taking part in a charity cycle challenge where they'll be cycling up more than 7,000 metres of climbing to raise money for the Al-Khair Foundation which is a Glasgow charity supporting various projects globally.
The team, from Mearns Cycling Club, has so far raised over £45,000 which will help vulnerable people in countries including Africa, Pakistan flood victims and those who've been devastated by the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Niaz added: ""There’s some tough climbs and we’ll be cycling every single day and challenging ourselves.
"I don’t feel fear, I feel strong enough to carry it out. I work within my limits in terms of my heart rate and we have a great team.
"We have completed 70-80 miles of training on some days to get ourselves more fit and capable. I feel motivated and excited.
"We are helping communities who are very poor and need help in various ways. We are looking forward to it."
Al-Khair, based on Victoria Road in Glasgow, also has branches across the UK. The charity has distributed more than £250 million in international humanitarian aid over the last decade.
The cycle challenge, which takes place in Mallorca, Spain, kicks off on Monday, May 15 and is set to last for six days.
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