Erin Pearson
MEDICAL staff and a heart attack victim have reunited in Geelong to thank a good Samaritan for saving his life.
Sixty-year-old Des Wilson collapsed with cardiac arrest on his front lawn last month but was lucky to have 22-year-old Bradley Hopwood nearby.
Representatives of Ambulance Victoria and Barwon Health joined Mr Wilson and Mr Hopwood on Wednesday to praise him for stepping outside his “comfort zone”.
Geelong paramedic Scott McCullough was on the scene in minutes but said Mr Wilson would have died without Mr Hopwood’s help.
“Bradley saved Des’s life. He had collapsed and Brad went in to commence CPR,” Mr McCullough said.
“If you give someone CPR you’re extending that time when we can then come in and essentially defibrillate and offer advanced life support.
“About 55 per cent of (cardiac arrest victims) get CPR and 45 per cent don’t, so that’s 45 per cent straight away who die or suffer injury to the brain.”
Mr Wilson said he had driven home from work feeling unwell on the day of his attack.
“It’s overwhelming – I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Brad,” he said.
“I had a heart attack and I was dead for four minutes.”
Mr Wilson started rehabilitation on Wednesday after two weeks in hospital and bed rest.
Mr Hopwood said he saw Mr Wilson collapse in Jamison Street, Thompson, after leaving a TAFE course early.
The roof plumber had completed a workplace CPR course 12 months earlier.
“I heard Des hit the pavement pretty hard and turned around,” Mr Hopwood remembered.
“You only have to do a small thing to make a massive difference to someone’s life.
“We’ll be lifelong friends.”
Acting clinical support officer Anthony Taylor, this week, presented Mr Hopwood with a letter and certificate of commendation before thanking him as “a health service person and as a member of the community”.
“It’s the community looking after itself (that) then enables us to come out and work with patients that are viable,” Mr Taylor said.
“We’re trying to show people that the simple thing of CPR has this great outcome.
“Brad did a wonderful thing.”
