Andy said lots of people helped to save him but emergency helicopter response was ‘pivotal’ in his survival
‘I wouldn’t be here without them’ – Cleethorpes golfer Andy on the actions of the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance(Image: ambucopter.org.uk)
A golfer who survived a cardiac arrest while out on the course praised Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance for helping save his life. Andy started Friday, July 25 of last year feeling fit, healthy and looking forward to a round of golf with friends in Cleethorpes.
It was a beautiful summer morning, and he remembers playing well and enjoying the day. At first, when Andy noticed a pain in his chest, he did not think it was anything serious.
Having always considered himself fit and healthy, he carried on playing. As he began walking towards the next hole, he started to feel nauseous.
“By the time I reached the end of the fairway, the pain had become overwhelming. It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest,” Andy said.
Moments later, he slumped down and began to feel pain in his left arm. That was when he knew something was seriously wrong.
Andy promotes the lifesaving work of Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance, and fundraises for the cause, since his experience(Image: ambucopter.org.uk)
Thankfully, Andy’s friends reacted quickly, calling 999 and contacting the golf clubhouse, making sure people were positioned around the course to guide the ambulance crew to Andy as quickly as possible. A defibrillator was also brought and ready to use.
The ambulance arrived within roughly ten minutes. Andy remembers hearing the crew say he was going into cardiac arrest, and then everything went blank.
“It was like the TV had turned off at the end of the night,” he said. “Just like that, I was gone.”
For a couple of minutes, Andy’s heart stopped beating. CPR was started and the defibrillator was used multiple times.
When he came round, Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA) had landed nearby, with the paramedic and doctor telling Andy they were going to get him straight into the helicopter to get him to hospital. As he had been playing in Cleethorpes, Andy assumed he would be taken to Castle Hill Hospital and asked the crew to let his wife know.
Instead, they told him they were flying to Lincoln. When Andy asked why, he was told it was two minutes quicker by air. “At that point I thought, I don’t think I’ve got much chance here,” he said.
Once at hospital, Andy was taken straight into resus and into theatre, where a stent was inserted through his arm and into his heart while he was awake, restoring blood flow and helping him begin to feel better. Andy was then cared for in cardiac intensive care before being moved to a heart ward.
He spent a further two to three days in hospital before continuing his recovery at home with the support of his wife. His recovery included eight weeks of rehabilitation, including supervised aerobic classes and small circuit exercises to help rebuild his strength safely.
Doctors later told Andy he had suffered considerable damage to his heart, which was functioning around 35 per cent lower than it should have been. The cardiac event had affected a main heart valve and caused serious complications, including damage to the heart wall and a clot travelling towards the valve.
For Andy, the suddenness of what happened was difficult to comprehend. “It was so bizarre,” he said. “The day before I was cutting a tree down and felt absolutely fine.”
He was left with bruising on his chest where the defibrillator pads had been placed, marks that reminded him just how close he had come to losing his life. “I even thought about getting a tattoo around the marks to commemorate the occasion,” he said.
Andy is clear that many people played a part in saving him that day – his friends, the ambulance crew, the hospital team and LNAA crew. “There were lots of people who saved my life that day,” he said, “but without a doubt, the air ambulance was pivotal in saving me.
“I wouldn’t be here without them. I needed that helicopter transportation – by road, I don’t think I would have made it.”
Since then, Andy has shared his experience at a golf society dinner, speaking about the lifesaving work of Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance, fundraising for the cause, and reminding others that what happened to him could happen to anyone.
LNAA receives no Government or NHS funding for its missions, relying solely on the generosity of supporters, partners and communities to stay operational. It covers an area of 3,500 square miles, serving a population of more than 2.5 million people.
How you can help:
- Donate at Ambucopter.org.uk
- Organise a fundraising event in your community
- Volunteer with LNAA
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