On the 26th April 2017, Tony Hill from Renaker Build, started his shift like every other day at 6.30am. Except this day was different. On this day, Tony suffered a life-threatening cardiac arrest.
With no symptoms, no pain and no recollection of collapsing, Tony suffered a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). SCAs can happen to anyone, at any time; regardless of age, gender, lifestyle choices or fitness levels.
26th April 2017
Neil Molyneux was on site when Tony collapsed and had had defibrillator training provided by defibshop just weeks before. In the office adjacent to the warehouse, he heard that Tony had collapsed. Going straight out to the warehouse, Neil met with John Fieldhouse, who had also been trained how to use the AED. Upon assessing the situation, Neil went to retrieve the defibrillator and together, they started the rescue process that saved Tony’s life.
As with many victims of cardiac arrest, Tony had no prior symptoms and hadn’t visited his doctor for almost 13 years. Remembering almost nothing before collapsing, Tony woke up after having emergency surgery in hospital. Tony was placed in a medically induced coma and remained in the hospital for 3 weeks following his SCA. When he returned home and visited his doctor, he remarked that he had never had a survivor of cardiac arrest in front of him, something which humbled Tony greatly.
Tony's Story
Tony told us; ‘Without the defibrillator and the actions of John & Neil, I wouldn’t be here today. I’m very grateful that we had the defibrillator, which we had only got a few weeks before. Even if the defibrillators aren’t ever used again, they have already saved my life. I’m truly lucky. I’ve been back in to see the team since my collapse and am looking forward to going back to catch up with everyone, especially Neil and John’.
At 74 years old, Tony always enjoyed working, having grown up with a very strong work ethic. However, after this incident, he has understood the importance of taking it easy and is looking to make a full recovery before getting back to exercising; particularly swimming. With 2 children and many grandkids, the reality that the fate of Tony could have been much different if a defibrillator had not been available, is very hard to bear.
Neil said; ‘I had really enjoyed the training with defibshop, and as a result, I felt much more confident to use the defibrillator when Tony collapsed. All the team are really pleased with the outcome and with Tony’s recovery and that we had the defibrillator available to use. We have found that they are easy to use and tell you exactly what to do, and I think they should be everywhere.’
Pictured from left to right; Neil Molyneux, Tony Hill, John Fieldhouse.
Thanks to the defibrillator being on site and the actions of lifesavers John and Neil, Tony is still here today to tell his story.
Cardiac Arrest & Definitive Treatment
The only definitive treatment for a victim of cardiac arrest is immediate CPR and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). If definitive treatment is given 3 -5 minutes following a collapse, the chance of survivals drastically improves from 6% to 74%. For every minute that passes without definitive treatment, the survival rate drops by 10%.
Following Tony’s collapse just 4 weeks after installing their defibrillator from defibshop, Renaker Build made the decision to install them on all their sites. Renaker Build was established in 2006 and is one of the North West’s leading property developers. The model of defibrillator they purchased which saved Tony is the ZOLL AED Plus Lay Responder.
Everyone at defibshop was ecstatic to hear of Tony’s save and his recovery. It reminds us why what we do is so important. Put simply, we save lives. On 21st November, we invited Tony and his wife Shirley to come down to our offices to be reunited with John & Neil who saved him. Tony and Shirley also got to meet the defibshop team as well as representatives from ZOLL, the manufacturer of the defibrillator that saved Tony. Together, defibshop & ZOLL presented John & Neil with Lifesaver certificates and Tony with a ZOLL defibrillator and AED Armor cabinet package for his local community.
Pictured from left to right; Neil Molyneux, Tony Hill, John Fieldhouse.
Shirley and Tony have just celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary with their children and extended family (including the 30 plus children they have fostered over the years)!
To find out more about defibrillators, visit our page here.
defibshop are committed to equipping everyone with the skills and knowledge to save a life. Speak to one of our Product Specialists on 0161 776 7422 or fill out our Contact Form.
