Peter & Sue Willmott’s story

On the day, the angels were on my side.

Peter

On 10^th July 2022, Peter and his wife, Sue, were driving home to Bognor Regis after visiting their nephew in Evesham. Peter, who was 75 at the time, was driving and they planned to stop enroute to see their daughter in Basingstoke. There were no signs that this would be anything but an ordinary journey.

There was, however, a road closure along their planned route, delaying progress. They decided to take a break and pulled in at a service station on the Milton Interchange. They didn’t know at the time how lucky they were that they picked that service station, at that time.

Having parked up, Peter and Sue went inside to choose some sandwiches and fruit. Peter was stood behind his wife at the time, and she remembers being confused when he suddenly fell:

Peter fell to the floor. I had no idea what was happening. He had no history of heart problems, and my first thought was that he had had a stroke. Until then, I thought the most stressful thing to happen that day was going to be traffic on our journey, and here I was shouting at my husband to stay with me, as he lay on the ground in the middle of a crowded shop.

Sue

Peter had suffered a cardiac arrest.

Luckily for Peter and Sue, a fellow shopper was trained in CPR and immediately took control of the situation, calling 999 and beginning chest compressions. As she shouted for more help, she was joined by a midwife who also happened to be at the service station at the time.

Sue finds it difficult to describe what was going through her head in that moment.

I just stood back. I couldn’t speak or even really think. It’s almost like you come out of yourself when something like that is happening. It was an absolute miracle that the help we needed was so close at hand.

Sue

As well as the two bystanders who were already working on Peter, two paramedics quickly joined the scene. As luck would have it, the responding ambulance was seconds away from the incident.

Before long, the Thames Valley Air Ambulance helicopter was dispatched, and Doctor Lily and Critical Care Paramedic Charlie were on their way. The helicopter landed in a nearby field and our crew ran along the A34 to reach Peter, bringing equipment and expertise he so desperately needed. For Peter, who doesn’t remember much of what happened that day, the sheer luck of where his cardiac arrest happened is not lost on him.

I could have had my cardiac arrest while driving on a busy motorway. I could have stopped in a different service station. The angels were on my side that day.

Peter

When Peter was in a stable enough condition to travel, he was blue-lighted to the John Radcliffe Hospital, with Thames Valley Air Ambulance crews by his side. By herself in the family room, waiting for an update on her husband’s condition, the reality of what had unfolded hit Sue. “It was then that I succumbed to the fears and emotions I’d been holding in” she remembers, “it seemed a long wait until I was joined by my son and daughter.”

Finally, she was told that she could see her husband. Peter was sedated and on a ventilator. The doctor told her the next 48 hours would be key to his recovery and they couldn’t tell yet whether there would be any lasting effects.

The day may have been drawing to a close but, for Peter and his family, their journey was far from over.

Treatment and recovery: “our whole world had been turned upside down”.

The next few days passed in a blur of tests and worry, before the doctor felt Peter was well enough to be moved from the trauma ward to the critical care ward. But a major chest infection meant it was three weeks until he was taken off the ventilator. This, as well as the drugs Peter was on, meant it was some time before his family could communicate properly with him.

After three nights staying in a local hotel, Sue moved into a holiday rental nearby so that she could be near to her husband. The extra worry of living 100 miles away from the hospital was another strain on the family as they waited for Peter to be well enough to come home. “Our life was on pause” Sue reflects, “All we could think about was Peter.” Fortunately, during this stressful time, the family had the support of Helen from our Aftercare team. As Sue recalls:

Helen is just the most amazing person. She helped us in every way you could imagine. She came to see Peter every day she was in the hospital – she was a calming, regular presence who helped us understand what was going on. Helen acted as both our translator and our advocate.

Sue

Peter ended up having five stents fitted, three to principal arteries and two smaller ones, in an operation that lasted over two hours, during which he was awake and sedated. Just three days later, he had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) fitted, which will deliver a shock if Peter’s heart goes into a dangerous rhythm. Then, suddenly, it was time to go home.

My most vivid memory is the day we were discharged. I was taking home a person who had been critically ill. A person who had a heart problem. And I was the one who was going to look after him. Even things like what food I should cook him had me worrying. Our whole world had been turned upside down. I felt so alone.

Sue

Peter believes that those first days and weeks at home were harder for Sue.

For me, the memory of the worst parts is hazy or missing. My family went through the trauma of seeing what happened to me. For my wife, I don’t think those memories will ever go away

Peter

As Peter began cardiac rehabilitation, he started to take short walks, slowly increasing the time and distance as he got his strength back. During his rehab programme, Peter was diagnosed with heart failure, where the lower chambers of his heart muscle don’t pump as well as they should. Once he had this diagnosis, the drugs he was taking were fine-tuned to get the most out of his heart muscle.

What life looks like now:

Helen from our Aftercare team stayed in touch with Peter and Sue throughout everything. One year on, they have met again at a Thames Valley Air Ambulance supporter day and Helen also set up a visit back to the John Radcliffe Hospital.

It’s strange to think that this happened to me, I feel so lucky. The amazing care I received in my hour of need means I’m around to watch my four grandchildren grow up. When the family gets together at Christmas or special occasions, I can’t help but think of how differently things might have gone. I basically died that day and yet, here I am.

The 10^th July is like a second birthday for me now. I’ll celebrate it as the day I got a second shot at life.

Peter

Sue is feeling a lot more positive one year on.

The care we received from Thames Valley Air Ambulance extended far beyond that fateful day. Having Helen from the Aftercare team by our side in the hospital was a lifeline for me and it’s been wonderful keeping in touch ever since. If anyone is considering supporting Thames Valley Air Ambulance, I would urge them to do it. You might help a family like ours.

Sue