RSFR entrant life saved due to quick-thinking off-duty medics
October 25th, 2023
The life of Peter Brown was saved thanks to the quick-thinking intervention of off-duty medics at this year’s 40th Royal Sutton Fun Run.
Peter, originally from Kingstanding, Birmingham, travelled down from Manchester with his son Jack to participate in this year’s event alongside over four thousand other entrants.
Peter Brown – centre – meets seven of the eight off-duty paramedics, ambulance technicians and nurses who saved his life
Peter reached The Gate pub on Mill Street, just two hundred metres from the finish line in Sutton Coldfield town centre when he collapsed to the ground and suffered a cardiac arrest.
Having recognised the seriousness of the situation, a total of eight off-duty nurses, paramedics, and ambulance technicians, some of whom had already completed the challenging 8.5-mile course themselves, attended to Peter before he regained consciousness having received two defibrillator shocks.
Peter said: “Quite simply I owe my life to these wonderful people. Without their intervention and expertise of knowing how to treat a person in cardiac arrest and delivering high quality CPR ahead of the West Midlands and St John Ambulance medical crews arriving at the scene with a defibrillator, I would have lost my life.
“I’d had no warning of any underlying health issues otherwise I wouldn’t have contemplated participating in the Fun Run.”
Peter was initially taken to Good Hope Hospital just a mile and a half from the scene, before being transferred to Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham for further assessment, where it was determined he would need a heart by-pass operation.
“I had to wait in Heartlands for a bed to become available at Walsgrave Hospital, Coventry where I underwent specialist surgery for what was initially a triple heart by-pass operation but, on the day, turned out to be a quadruple heart by-pass.
“I was in hospital for over three weeks and have since been recovering at home. I’m now able to drive and hope to return to work at Manchester Airport before Christmas.
“These wonderful off-duty medics not only saved my life but saved my family and friends from an even more traumatic experience.
“I appreciate how lucky I am to be alive and hope with continued progress to return to Sutton in the future and participate in another Royal Sutton Fun Run.”
Fun Run Director, Vanessa Hoe presents Peter Brown with his 2023 medal surrounded by his family.
Fun Run Director, Vanessa Hoe who presented Peter with his 2023 Fun Run medal said: “Everyone connected with the Fun Run is so pleased to hear Peter is continuing his recovery at home. He and his family have been through a traumatic experience but hopefully he will make a full recovery in time.
“It was a very distressing scene for those spectating in and around The Gate pub on the day. The positive reaction we received on social media to the news about Peter’s positive outcome was overwhelming and I’m sure the reaction will be very similar with the news about his continued progress back to full health.
“The response by the off-duty medics was nothing less than we’ve come to expect from our emergency service personnel. As Peter has said, there is little doubting that without their quick thinking and medical expertise in knowing what to do, the outcome would have been very different.
“We were so pleased most of the off-duty medics were able to join us to meet Peter so he could thank them in person for saving his life and delighted to present Peter with his official 2023 Royal Sutton Fun Run medal.”