PENSIONER Pat Groom would be dead if not for the fast actions of two good Samaritans.
So when the 80-year-old from Winchcombe had a chance to meet his saviours, he jumped at the chance to say heartfelt thanks.
Mr Groom suffered a heart attack and collapsed outside the Lloyds TSB bank in Winchcombe High Street in November.
First aid volunteer Pat Anderson and off duty trainee paramedic Karen Taylor used CPR and a defibrillator to save him.
Mr Groom and his wife Joyce was able to meet the duo to thank them.
He said: "Being able to say thank you to Karen and Pat is wonderful, and so important. Without them, I wouldn't be here today."
Bank staff called 999 after Mr Groom was found unconscious outside the branch.
The ambulance service contacted Ms Anderson, who volunteers as a community first responder (CFR), and she rushed to the scene from her bed and breakfast business.
When she arrived with her medical kit, which included a defibrillator, she found Mr Groom receiving hands-on CPR from Ms Taylor, who was passing through Winchcombe on her way to Bristol.
Working together, they used the defibrillator to restart his heart and keep him alive until paramedics arrived.
Mr Groom was rushed to Cheltenham General Hospital, where a balloon stent was inserted into an artery to keep his blood and oxygen flowing.
Ms Anderson, one of the founding members of the seven-strong Winchcombe CFR team, said: "When I got to the scene, I didn't have time to feel nervous because you are focused on getting on with treating the patient.
"You do think about the situation quite a bit afterwards, so to hear that Pat had recovered was lovely. Meeting him now is absolutely wonderful."
Ms Taylor added: "There was a slight sense of insecurity at first because I didn't have any kit with me, but then you just click into professional mode and get on with doing what you are trained to do.
"The majority of our patients we never see again after we've treated them, so to see Pat here looking so well and hearing about him being back to a full life is wonderful – it really brings home why I do this job."
Mr Groom has since gone back to playing competitive bowls and he urged people to start volunteering as a CFR.
He said: "You would never think I had a heart attack – I feel so fit and well.
"Having Karen and Pat helping me so quickly is why I am still here today – so I hope more people learn about saving lives and volunteering as a CFR."
To volunteer in Winchcombe, call Leo Doyle at 01242 602 609.
OPINION, P8
