A man who was given a six per cent chance of living after collapsing at a park run reunited with the medics who saved his life 10 years later.
Sean Doyle, 55, suffered a cardiac arrest at Greenhead Park in Huddersfield and received CPR from his GP Dr Emma Spencer and a nurse Dinah Coogan before paramedic Kate Young arrived.
He was given a six per cent chance of survival after spending 36 hours in a coma.
His wife Helen was told Sean would likely suffer serious brain damage.
Sean has since made an incredible recovery and continues to run.
This past weekend he ran a park run to raise money for Heart Research UK.
Kate recalled that day 10 years ago and told ExaminerLive: "I was the first paramedic on the scene.
"I suppose it was unusual for someone to collapse at the start of the race rather than at the end.
"I shocked him with the defibrillator. I have come today to see Sean and catch up with him. I have not seen him since 2017."
Emma added: "It's the first Park run I have done for three years, it was quite emotional running around together. I remember the day quite well. I was marshalling and was outside the cafe when someone told me that someone had fallen. I went to have a look and there was Sean on the floor, bleeding. There was another chap with him who was also a GP.
"I realised that he was not breathing, we turned him over and started CPR. It always seems a long time but I think it was around 10 minutes before Kate arrived.
"So, there were two GPs, a nurse and a physio all doing CPR. It didn't seem very hopeful, I had never seen him before but I recognised his wife's name as a patient at the surgery.
"It's pretty much a miracle how he survived. Survival rates in these circumstances are not high." He was taken in an ambulance to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary with a fellow runner Simon Edwards.
Helen said: "If it had not been for Emma and Dinah he wouldn't be here. I remember getting a phone call at home from a fellow runner saying there had been an incident. I just remember thinking: 'Oh, God, what has he done now?!'
"My mum drove me to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and I don't like recalling it. We were in the relatives' room and a consultant told me that if he survived there's a high chance he would suffer serious brain damage. I had to tell my 13-year-old daughter Katie and nine-year-old son Oliver.
"We were already looking into how we could kit our home out to cope with the disability if that happened. I ended up collapsing on my mum in tears. He was covered in blood as he had fallen down some steps and was in an induced coma but amazingly by Thursday he was discharged.
"It's very bitter-sweet. He slept through most of it but it was an emotional roller-coaster for me and the family. I wanted to burn his running boots! I only had two hours of sleep last night and I was in two minds about coming today, to be honest."
Sean said: "It's been great to see everyone who helped save my life today and to run around this course with Emma was very special. My medical team did a great job, both at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and Calderdale Royal Hospital. I am proof that the NHS does work."
He has done over 300 Park runs in his life and is aiming to do a total of 2,000 miles this year (he's currently on just under 700 miles). And he has run more than the distance from the UK to New Zealand since suffering a life-changing cardiac arrest.
