Chris’ Story

A dad has been reunited with the crew who helped to save his life just eight weeks after he suffered a life-threatening seizure and cardiac arrest.

Chris Stappleton was at Noon Cregg Veterans Retreat near St Buryan in September when he started to choke and suffered a seizure.

Cornwall Air Ambulance was tasked to the scene, with critical care paramedics Martin Bunt and Pete Storer onboard your AW169 helicopter, as part of a multi-agency response alongside the South Western Ambulance Service and Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service.

On scene the team worked to safely lift Chris down from the mezzanine to be treated. He then went into cardiac arrest for 10 minutes. The crew carried out chest compressions and managed to stabilise Chris, before airlifting him to the Royal Cornwall Hospital for onward care.

Martin Bunt, Critical Care Paramedic at Cornwall Air Ambulance, said: “Chris was suffering with recurrent seizures that morning and we had gone to assist the ambulance crew on scene when he stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest.  We arrived and assisted the ambulance crew in resuscitating Chris and managing to restart his heart and stabilising him for the onward transfer to hospital in the helicopter.”

Chris spent 10 days in a coma and a total of four weeks at Treliske.

He said: “It was surreal waking up and not knowing what had happened, they moved me from intensive care and put me on dialysis as my kidneys had failed, then I was discharged exactly a month later. I’m recovering now, I’m getting mental health support and now my kidneys are in normal range which is amazing.”

Just eight weeks later Chris and his family have visited the Cornwall Air Ambulance airbase to thank the crew who saved him.

He added: “They saved my life, if I was to be driven by road I don’t think I would have made it. They saved my life, 100%, there’s no doubt about that. Where would we be without you? Honestly the service is amazing.”