Schools must teach skills that saved my life, says 999 woman

Published on Friday 6 November 2009 21:46

A WOMAN whose life was saved by two strangers has launched a campaign to have vital resuscitation skills taught in schools.

Hilary Gray, 52, collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest near her home in Torphins, Kincardineshire, six weeks ago.

She was kept alive with the help of off-duty Reliance officers Chris Wolff and his fiance, Andrea Hall, who gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions for 20 minutes.

Yesterday, Mrs Gray, who is recovering from her ordeal, met the couple who have been honoured for their actions.

She said: "I will never be able to thank them enough for what they did that day. Chris and Andrea were the ones whose skills kept my heart beating and air in my lungs until our GP and the ambulance arrived.

"Even then, it took the doctor six shocks with the defibrillator to kick-start my heart, which shows how far gone I was.

"Now I desperately want to see the resuscitation skills which saved my life taught in every school in the land."

Mr Wolff and Ms Hall almost did not stop, because others seemed to be helping, but ran back to make sure she was OK.

Ms Hall, 23, who drives a prisoner transfer vehicle, said: "Hilary looked in a really bad way. Her face was blue, the tips of her ears and nose were purple, she wasn't breathing and I couldn't find a pulse.

"But our training meant both Chris and I knew exactly what to do, and we just started putting all those lessons into practice."

Andrea gave Hilary the kiss of life, while Chris started compressing her chest to keep her heart beating.

Mr Wolff, 31, a custody officer at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, said: "This was the first time either of us has had to use our training in a life-or-death situation, and we were delighted it worked out."

GP Neil Campbell said: "The Reliance officers were the ones who made the real difference. If they hadn't been able to keep her heart and lungs going she would have had no chance of recovery.

"We need everyone, or as many people as possible, to have these skills. They are not hard to learn, and Hilary is living proof of the difference they can make."