A dog walker pronounced clinically dead for eight minutes says his life was saved by two “incredible” young men who gave him CPR.
Brett Booth was walking in Beaver Lane, South Ashford, when he suddenly became confused and dropped to the pavement.
Thankfully, two 20-year-olds in a passing car spotted Mr Booth in distress and decided to pull over and check on him.
Friends Marley Cook and Ben Sparks approached the 55-year-old and sat him up on a wall before he collapsed just a couple of minutes later.
Mr Sparks, a plumber from Ashford, says the pair could not feel Mr Booth’s pulse and immediately called 999.
“Marley spoke to them and that's when they instructed us to move him and start CPR,” he said.
“We took it in turns to do the chest compressions and must have been doing it for about eight minutes.
“It was incredibly tiring, you don't realise how hard you have to press on the chest.
“I’m just proud that we didn't freeze in that situation and managed to help him.”
Ambulance crews were called to the incident at 2.30pm last Saturday.
When they arrived, Mr Booth had regained consciousness and was rushed to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford for further treatment.
Mr Booth, a delivery driver, says doctors informed him he had been clinically dead for eight minutes after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Now, after spending the weekend in hospital, Mr Booth is back home recovering and has thanked the two young men for saving his life.
He said: “I wouldn't be here today without them. Some people would have walked past and done nothing.
“I want to take this chance to thank them both. They both deserve medals – they saved my life.
“If they hadn't stopped I would be dead. Hearing that they have never done CPR is incredible.
“They were both so brave.”
“I wouldn't be here today without them…”
Mr Booth was left incredibly shaken up after the incident as he says there was “no warning” and he “felt fine” throughout the day.
He is now taking time off work while he waits to discuss the next steps with a heart specialist.
“I was quite happy walking the dog and the next thing I knew I was out. I had absolutely no warning,” he added.
“All I remember is I came round for a bit and I saw one of the lads over me giving me CPR and the other was looking after my dog.
“I do have a few cracked ribs from the CPR but that is understandable. The pain reminds me of how grateful I am.”
A cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops pumping.
If this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs.
According to the British Heart Foundation, without CPR the person will die in minutes.
CPR keeps the heart pumping blood around the body until emergency help arrives.
The news of the young men’s heroics was quickly shared on social media, with many praising them for their quick thinking and bravery.
But Mr Sparks says it was just “human nature” to help and believes it is something that “anyone would do”.
He added: “We managed to remain calm throughout and tried to make sure no one was panicking. It was a very stressful situation.
“I do feel proud but like to think this is what anyone would do…”
“I do feel proud but like to think this is what anyone would do. It was just human nature to try and help him.
“When I got home I did feel heavy. I was quite shaken up as it was not something I expected to happen that day.”
Mr Sparks says two other passers-by were also at the scene helping Mr Booth.
One was first aid trained and gave him the final couple of minutes of CPR before the ambulance arrived.
The ambulance service has also praised Mr Sparks and Mr Cook for their efforts.
A spokesman said: “We are always very grateful for any help provided by members of the public prior to our arrival and would like to thank the two young men for their quick thinking and actions in calling 999 and following the instructions of the call taker to assist the patient, who we are delighted to hear is doing well.”
