A London Marathon runner who suffered a cardiac arrest just a mile from the finish line has finally been presented with a medal nearly five months later — and says it was knowing he had “family to live for” that pulled him through the darkest moments of his recovery.
Gareth Hopkins, a 43-year-old paramedic, was just minutes from completing the iconic race in April when tragedy struck. His heart stopped for 16 minutes, and he went on to spend four months in hospital, learning how to walk, talk, eat and drink again while battling infections and kidney failure.
