Man whose life was saved as a child has now helped save a stranger’s life

A man whose life was saved as a child has now helped to save a stranger’s life with skills he learned just a few months before.

Paramedics from London Ambulance Service trained Adam Day in how to give chest compressions – also known as CPR – and how to use a defibrillator.

And when a man at his gym collapsed in cardiac arrest, Adam was able to give effective chest compressions that kept blood pumping round his body until an ambulance arrived.

Adam said: “Getting the chance to learn how to do this with paramedics and being shown exactly where to put your hands and how much pressure to use meant that I didn’t really have to think.

“The training came back to me and I was focused on doing all I could to help this person. Getting that training from paramedics really made me respect the work they do – even more than I already did.”

Adam was just 13 years old when paramedics saved his life. He survived a stab wound to the chest in a traumatic family loss.

Adam said: “I do have this background of trauma and it has been difficult to deal with, but it has left me with a profound respect for emergency responders.

“It has also given me a drive to help people. And that includes encouraging people to become London Lifesavers.”

London Ambulance Service launched the London Lifesavers Campaign to improve cardiac arrest survival rates in the capital.

The aim is to create a generation of lifesavers by providing CPR and defibrillator training for businesses, communities and schools, supported by funds raised by the London Ambulance Charity.

Adam, who’s now 27, was offered the training at the bank where he works as an analyst.

He said: “Knowing what to do in a life-threatening situation feels really daunting but the training gives you the confidence and the muscle memory to know what to do.

“There was a defibrillator in the gym that the gym staff used and those machines are excellent. They talk to you so you know what to do at each step.

“In the moment, you just go through the steps. But reflecting on what we did is emotional, knowing that we helped save a life is a profound feeling.”

London Ambulance Service responds to around 12,000 patients in cardiac arrest a year. Fewer than one in 10 survive.

But early chest compressions and a shock from a defibrillator can more than double a person’s chances of survival.

Samantha Palfreyman-Jones, Head of First Responders at London Ambulance Service, said: “You never know when you might need these skills and for Adam that moment came just a few months after his training.

“Would you know what to do if someone collapsed in cardiac arrest in front of you? What if it was someone you knew or someone you loved? These skills can be learned in a few minutes but they could change someone’s life forever.”

London Ambulance Service runs regular free pop up training events across the capital. The next one is on 29 June at the Park Royal Fire Station in north west London. All upcoming events are listed here.

London Lifesavers is funded through a grant provided by NHS Charities Together to the London Ambulance Charity. You can support the charity’s work by signing up to one of its exciting fundraising events – from the Dragon Boat Race to the London Life Hike – there are lots of opportunities to get involved.