The wife of a Scots pensioner who suffered a cardiac arrest while playing bowls has hailed a hero bystander for quickly moving in to save his life.
George Mitchell, 72, collapsed at Kirkcaldy Bowling Club in Fife on August 8. Fellow player Flo Stark had been chatting to another member when she was alerted to George becoming unwell.
The 74-year-old and the other member sprang into action to come to his aid. Flo started CPR compressions and was brought the defibrillator, which she administered to George.
Recalling the incident, Flo said: “I went out and did what I could to help George. Everyone did their part, one person called 999 and another brought me the defibrillator. I started to get tired, as I have arthritis, so Peter took over and continued chest compressions until the ambulance arrived.”
George is recovering well after a hospital stay, thanks to the quick actions of Flo and his fellow club members. George and his wife, Maureen, are so grateful to them.
Maureen said: “At first, we thought he just had indigestion, and someone had gone to fetch some Gaviscon. When he collapsed, I didn’t know what to do. I was in bits. Without Flo and Peter performing CPR on George, he wouldn’t be here today. We are overwhelmingly grateful to them for their heroic effort.”
“I would encourage everyone to learn CPR – you never know when you might need it.”
Kirkcaldy Bowling Club has since arranged CPR and defibrillator training for all newer members. You can find out more about learning CPR by visiting: Learn CPR – Save a Life for Scotland.
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