Jeremy, who works at Mico’s Kāpiti branch, is incredibly grateful to Wellington Free Ambulance paramedics Ben and Bronwyn for saving his life after he suffered a cardiac arrest on the way to Wellington hospital.
WHEN SECONDS COUNT
A real-life account of how a Mico team member’s life was on the line from a cardiac arrest—and why CPR and defibrillator training is so important.
W
hen Jeremy drove home from refereeing a football match one Sunday afternoon, he felt a strange tightness in his chest. The pain was concerning, but it only lasted 10 minutes or so and he didn’t think much more of it. The next morning, as Jeremy got up for work at his local Mico Kāpiti branch
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in Paraparaumu, he felt the same pain. Again, it only lasted for a short time so he continued getting ready. He arrived at work around 8.30am and the pain returned. This time it was quite severe and he had to sit down. “I could feel a tingling sensation in both arms and I said to my boss, ‘This is not
good’,” recalls Jeremy, who’s 64. “I phoned the Team Medical health centre, and they advised I should call an ambulance if it continued, which was good advice, but because they are only five minutes down the road, my boss drove me down to get checked out.”
Calling the ambulance By the time, Jeremy arrived at the health centre, he was complaining of quite severe central chest pain. The GP did some immediate treatment but called for an urgent ambulance to transport Jeremy to Wellington hospital for further specialist treatment. Paramedics Bronwyn and Ben were the ones to respond from Wellington Free Ambulance. They assessed Jeremy and proceeded to move him into the ambulance. Jeremy’s pain had subsided but both Bronwyn and Ben knew he needed to go to hospital for further tests. Ben took another look at what Jeremy’s heart was doing. The ECG test showed
