Cheltenham cardiac arrest survivor reunited with lifesaving ambulance crew
A Cheltenham man has been reunited with the ambulance crew from South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) and Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) who saved his life nearly two years ago.
Matt Jones, 55, suffered a cardiac arrest at his home on the morning of 27 August 2023. Matt's wife Claire, a trained nurse, immediately called 999 and began performing critical cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Emergency crews from SWASFT quickly arrived at the scene to provide life-saving medical care followed by a critical care team from GWAAC. Responding by helicopter, Critical Care Doctor Tim Godfrey and Specialist Paramedics in Critical Care, Matthew Robinson and Mark Kinsella placed Matt into a protective coma before they ground-escorted him by ambulance, to Cheltenham General Hospital.
While in hospital, Matt had three stents fitted and made a full recovery, returning home without complications.
On Tuesday 10 June, Matt and Claire had the opportunity to meet some of the emergency team involved in Matt's care. The reunion took place at GWAAC's airbase at Almondsbury in South Gloucestershire.
Matt said; It was a real honour to meet the crew today, being able to thank them in person for everything they did for me was really special. The reunion felt like a missing piece of my survival puzzle is finally in place. My family and I will be forever thankful to all the crew involved, and this event has inspired me to share the importance of knowing lifesaving CPR and where and how to access your closest defibrillator.
Dr Tim Godfrey, Deputy Medical Director at SWASFT and Critical Care Doctor for Great Western Air Ambulance Charity was part of the critical care team that attended to Matt and said, on behalf of GWAAC and SWASFT; It is so great to hear that Matt is doing so well and I'm proud to have been part of the team that looked after him. But it was just that, a team. The first member of that team was Matt's wife Claire, and I can't press the importance of bystander CPR in saving lives from those who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Thank you also to the prompt response from my frontline SWASFT colleagues, Lysander Barron; Brenan Roche; Katie Thicker; Jonah Rees; and David Moore, which enabled Matt to be shocked as soon as possible back into a normal heart rhythm.
What we do in critical care is add trimmings to the main course of CPR and defibrillation. I would ask that anyone reading this story to go out and learn about CPR and public access defibrillators. Just like Claire, the person you are most likely to help is the person closest to you.
Since his recovery, Matt has launched a podcast called Push To Start aimed at supporting cardiac arrest survivors, with his own story featured in the first episode. He has also completed his first novel and started volunteering with GWAAC teaching CPR in schools and the local community.
More than 75% of cardiac arrests occur in the home, and without early intervention, the chances of survival decrease rapidly - with every passing minute without CPR reducing the likelihood of survival by 10%. This means individuals are more likely to perform CPR on a family member or friend than on a stranger. Taking just a few minutes to learn CPR could one day help save the life of someone close to them.
To find out how to learn CPR and locate your nearest defibrillator, visit the SWASFT website.
This emotional reunion not only highlighted Matt's incredible recovery and dedication to community education, but also the vital role played by family members, ambulance crews, and air ambulance services in saving lives.