A Co Armagh man has thanked those who saved his life after he took a sudden cardiac arrest.
Ryan Nelson was a fit and healthy 43-year-old who loved football and being outdoors when tragedy hit.
On Monday, August 9, 2021, the Lurgan man had just arrived home with a coffee for his wife Vivienne when, without any warning, he took a sudden cardiac arrest on his doorstep.
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He was unconscious and unresponsive at the scene.
Ryan’s 15-year-old son Corey alerted the emergency services immediately.
The controller at the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) talked Corey through lifesaving CPR which he relayed to neighbour Michael McLoughlin who worked on Ryan with another neighbour and nurse, Siobhan Totton.
NIAS road ambulance paramedics arrived, followed by the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) team. A defibrillator was used to shock Ryan’s heart.
The HEMS team were able to provide further critical care treatment to Ryan within minutes of arriving on Ryan’s doorstep.
Having stabilised his condition, Ryan was then transported to the Royal Victoria Hospital for further treatment and care. He was fitted with an Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD device) and is recovering well and slowly adapting to life.
The Armagh man is extremely grateful to be back home with his wife Vivienne, son Corey (15) and daughters, Hollie (13) and Evie (9).
Ryan said: ‘’I’ve heard that only 1 in 10 people suffering a cardiac arrest outside of hospital survive, so the odds were against me. CPR really made the difference, and I would like to encourage everyone to learn about CPR and familiarise themselves with defibrillators, as you never know when it could be needed.
"I will be forever grateful to the chain of people involved in saving my life that day. The quick response from my family, neighbours, paramedics, and the HEMS team was critical and I am extremely fortunate to come through this ordeal.’’
Wife Vivienne added: “I heard of cases where the air ambulance crew have been needed on the news or on social media, but you never ever think it will happen to you.
"Ryan was a normal healthy 43-year-old with no previous health issues or problems. Witnessing a cardiac arrest has been the most traumatic experience my family have ever had. But if not for the chain of events that day Ryan wouldn’t be here now.
"I am forever grateful to everyone involved that day and in particular to the HEMS team for the lifesaving treatment they provided on my doorstep.’’
The family are grateful to the HEMS team at Air Ambulance NI and decided to take action and raise funds to ensure more people have access to this life-saving service in the future.
Vivienne and the Nelson family started the 'Mission Critical' appeal and held fundraising nights, a spinathon and a friend took part in the Belfast City Marathon.
Vivienne added: “People have been incredibly kind and generous. We have been gifted so much locally through businesses, people getting in touch through Facebook wanting to support the charity, family members getting support through their workplaces and so many people contacting us telling their own stories of being helped by the HEMS team at Air Ambulance NI.”
The family want to thank every person who have helped them raise over £17,000 for the charity, which they presented to the Air Ambulance NI team in Lisburn.
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