AN Ardoyne man says he owes his life to the staff at Falls Leisure Centre after suffering cardiac arrest outside the facility.
Gerard Bradley (75) had completed his normal routine in the Leisure Centre last Monday morning and as he left collapsed on the Falls Road outside.
Thanks to the skilled knowledge and quick reactions of leisure centre staff, Gerard was eventually revived using a life-saving defibrillator and several rounds of CPR.
Barry O'Hare, Assistant Manager at Falls Leisure Centre, explained how the dramatic incident unfolded.
"It was about 9.55am and receptionist Gerard Heaney noticed a gentleman leaving the building who was bit shaky and as he looked out the front door, he noticed that the had collapsed.
"Gerard raised the alarm at reception and that was the most effective thing because it alerted all the staff.
"We ran to the area and realised that the gentleman had suffered a cardiac arrest. We grabbed the defibrillator and strapped it up to him. It takes about 90 seconds to test for a heart pulse in the body but none was found.
"We went straight and started CPR. I was doing compressions, my colleague Jonene McCusker was doing the mouth to mouth.
"We completed three cycles of CPR before the defibrillator prompted us to shock Mr Bradley. We administered the first shot which had no impact, so we continued on the CPR.
"Another colleague Sean O'Connor, who is only 19-years-old took over with the compressions. It was a real team effort.
"At that point, an ambulance was driving up the Falls Road with casualties in the back and noticed us doing CPR and stopped. The defibrillator prompted for a second shock which I administered and with that second shock Mr Bradley took his first breath again.
"So technically, he was dead for about two-and-a-half to three minutes while we were working on him."
Barry stressed the importance of his staff having the skills and knowledge to perform CPR and how vital a defibrillator is.
"The defibrillator is the thing that saved his life along with the quick reactions from the receptionist alerting us.
"If you have a defibrillator on someone within 60 seconds of cardiac arrest, they have a 90 per cent chance of survival. You take a minute off that and the survival rate drops dramatically.
"This incident shows how important the training we do here is. We are more than just lifeguards and fitness instructors and things like that and our skills and knowledge and quick reactions definitely prevailed on the day.
"I want to praise my staff. Doing CPR is very tiring and stressful. It was very emotional and upsetting for the staff.
"There was a point where we thought we weren't getting him back and we looked at each other and we just dug deep and kept going.
"We have had a lot of chats and counselling sessions since it happened. It has definitely made us stronger as a team. In my 24-year career so far, this was the first incident of this type for me.
"If Mr Bradley had been 200 yards further down the road, he probably wouldn't have made it. We are just thankful it was a positive outcome.
"We hope we can see him when he gets out of hospital. He has been coming to Falls Leisure Centre for many years."
Speaking to the Andersonstown News from his hospital bed, Gerard said that he doesn't remember the incident and says he would not be here today if it hadn't been for the staff at Falls Leisure Centre.
THANKFUL: Gerard Bradley (75) at his hospital bed
"I can't thank them enough," he said. "They were the first responders before the ambulance and then the hospital.
"I go to the gym there every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It was just like a normal day. I don't remember being unwell or anything about coming out. I woke up in the City Hospital on Wednesday and wondered what happened to me.
"Defibrillators are so important and the training involved around knowing what to do if someone suffers cardiac arrest. I think it is something that everyone should know.
"I am still in hospital and am hopefully going to get an implantable defibrillator fitted. I am on the mend, thank God."
