Corby RS first-aider's quick-thinking actions save colleague’s life after major heart attack

Quick-thinking actions by a Corby first aider have saved the life of a colleague after using a life-saving defibrillator.

One of RS Group’s (RS) six defibrillators at its Corby distribution centre was put into action when employee Terry Allen suffered a major cardiac arrest.

Warehouse operative Terry, 65, from Corby, was loading trailers with products as part of his normal day-to-day role, when he started to feel discomfort.

He said: “I’d felt absolutely fine all day at work. I stopped for a break and sat down in the tearoom, when I felt a bit warm. My forehead was sweating, so I decided to get some fresh air to cool down and have a cigarette. But that didn’t taste particularly good, so I went back inside and sat down.

“Within a couple of minutes, I felt a massive pain inside my chest and asked my colleague to call for a first aider.”

Jackie MacDonald, 58, also a warehouse operative at RS, arrived minutes later, and Terry was in a lot of distress.

She said: “I took one look at Terry and asked him what his symptoms were but suspected straightaway he was having a heart attack because my husband, John, had had one six months before.

“Although he said he was hot, he felt cold and clammy and I knew that was another sign. I kept talking to him and called for an ambulance, not being able to tell them he was having a heart attack in case we panicked Terry and weren’t right but was told it would be six hours. I said ‘we haven’t got that long’.”

When Terry went silent Jackie and operations manager, Karolina Patel, laid him on the floor and opened up the defibrillator box.

Jackie said: “I got the fright of my life because it all happened so fast. Although I have been trained in how to use a defibrillator and it tells you step-by-step through what to do and to prepare to shock the person – Terry, in this case – it was scary.”

After shocking Terry with the defibrillator pads, Jackie performed CPR three times on him after which he sat bolt upright – he was put in the recovery position.

Paramedics then took the father-of-six and grandfather-of-10 to Kettering General Hospital, having to be resuscitated again in the ambulance en-route after having another heart attack.

He said: “I effectively died again that day and know for certain I wouldn’t be alive today if I’d been at home rather than work because I live alone.

“I remember the paramedics telling me you’ve got your colleagues to thank for you being alive and I really do.”

Terry had a stent inserted into his heart and has now kicked his 20-a-day smoking habit. He has returned to work and is feeling ‘better than ever’.

Jackie was awarded Employee of the Month but said the best reward was seeing Terry for the first time when he returned to work.

Terry added: “There are no words to say thank you to someone like Jackie who has saved my life and the fact RS had the foresight to invest in defibrillators means I am here today to tell this tale.”