“The stars were certainly aligned for me that day” - Neil's Story

Neil Clements suffered a cardiac arrest at home one Sunday morning. With the help of his partner Sarah, they share what happened that day in hope that it highlights the difference your donations are making to save lives.

The Morning of the Incident

During the very early morning of Sunday 22nd October 2023, I woke up with what I thought was indigestion (there was no tightness of chest or pains, so having a heart attack at that moment never crossed my mind). I went downstairs and sat in the lounge with my dog ‘OreO’ and watched a little TV. After half an hour or so, I felt better and went back to bed.

I woke up at approximately 8am, let the dog out, and made a cup of tea for myself and my partner Sarah. I asked her if she had heard me get up in the night, and she said she hadn’t and then asked how I felt, to which I replied, “a lot better.”

That morning, my work manager, Sally, messaged to ask the code for our office, so I sat down on the side of my bed and texted her back. It was at this point that I collapsed. I remember nothing else from that point, so this is where Sarah takes on the story…

Sarah’s Quick Thinking

Neil collapsed in front of me, slumping sideways and hitting his head on the up-and-over wardrobe fittings which surround the bed. Panicking and trying to absorb what was happening, but trying to keep calm, I lifted his legs onto the bed. I noticed he had a head wound as he was bleeding from it, he was gurgling, and his breathing was very noisy.

So many thoughts were going through my head. What do I do? I thought, could he have gone into cardiac arrest and remember thinking six minutes, six minutes and Neil would die. I didn’t know how to perform CPR, but I remembered that our neighbour, Carolyn, was a nurse at the local medical centre, so I ran out of the house and knocked desperately on Carolyn and Mike’s front door.

I told them Neil had collapsed, and they immediately came and assessed him while I was phoning for the emergency services. The call handler told us we had to drag Neil off the bed onto the floor so CPR could be delivered effectively.

Between them, Carolyn and Mike performed CPR. Carolyn took the lead and told us what to do, she was amazing; well, they both were. Poor OreO was running around as he didn’t know what was happening, so we put him in the bathroom and closed the door.

After a few minutes, Mike asked me to get another neighbour who knew CPR as it was so exhausting for them both, so I ran out of the house to get more help.

Arrival of Emergency Services

It was at this point that two ambulances and a car arrived, together with the air ambulance helicopter, which had landed in the field behind the house. Carolyn and Mike handed over Neil’s care; his heart was restarted three times with a defibrillator while they were trying to stabilise him.

The air ambulance practitioner, Stuart, constantly kept us all updated with what was going on. He explained that Neil was very, very poorly, having suffered a cardiac arrest and could easily have another, which could be fatal. He was eventually taken down the stairs onto the front lawn where, as Stuart had explained, they were setting up an Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

I was told that if Neil was stable enough, he would be airlifted to hospital and it would take about eight minutes to get there. If he wasn’t stable enough, the team would travel by road ambulance to hospital, which would take more like 35 minutes. Fortunately, they did stabilise him and Neil would be whisked off by helicopter to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

The Hospital Battle

In hospital, Neil had a stent fitted and was put into an induced coma to rest his brain. We were praying that he hadn’t suffered any brain damage, but at this point, he was in ICU pod 1, fighting for his life. However, he came out of his coma exactly 24 hours after collapsing with no side effects whatsoever.

He was welcomed to Musgrove Park Hospital by the brilliant nurses who were caring for him, and when I walked in 15 minutes later, he waved and although very weak, he said: “Hi, I’m alive!”

A Miraculous Recovery

The joy I felt was unexplainable; hugging the nurses who were tending to him, I just could not thank them enough. Neil wanted to know everything that had happened, so I was testing his memory at the same time. I told him how an ICU was set up on his front lawn, and in his usual jovial manner, he replied: “Well, I hope they didn’t mess my lawn up as I only mowed it on Thursday!”

I couldn’t believe it; he hadn’t even suffered short-term memory loss! Neil was transferred to ICU pod 2 on the Tuesday and then released onto the Fielding Ward (cardiac unit) on Wednesday. After making a miraculous recovery, he was discharged from hospital just eight days after his cardiac arrest and returned to work a couple of weeks later.

Gratitude and Reflection

Neil was told that he may need an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) fitted. However, after a further scan, tests, and positive results, it was recommended that he didn’t need one. Then in April, he underwent the treadmill test so that he could regain his Class 2 professional driving licence and smashed it!

Neil’s miraculous recovery was due to the quick reactions of everyone involved, and every single one of them are our heroes. The cardiac consultant told him, before leaving hospital, that he had less than a 5% chance of survival that day and to have no side effects, he was a walking miracle.

The Role of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) have a patient and family liaison team who provide an after-care service. Although Neil didn’t feel he needed it, it has always been available. I, however, have been in contact with Sam who has been able to give me a lot of facts from the day.

She explained that I was number one in Neil’s chain of survival, and my quick actions and thinking started the chain, with Mike and Carolyn delivering the next part and so on. At the moment, I am liaising with her to meet some of the people who attended Neil. The day we have planned is in October, exactly 52 weeks to the day that he collapsed.

Looking Back and Moving Forward

I work for Somerset Passenger Solutions, who have been fully supportive throughout. Before the incident and to date, I have headed up the charity team, which runs staff trips, and all the proceeds go to DSAA.

Sarah and I have shared this story because we want people to know that this wonderful charity relies on public donations. No one knows when they will need it, and they played a massive part in saving my life. The after-care service they provide is amazing too; once again, that’s all charity funded.

The stars were certainly aligned for me that day. Sarah was with me, Mike and Carolyn were about to go out for a family meal, and the weather was good, enabling the medical team to work on me outside. If it had been a day later, I am sure the outcome would have been completely different.

Help us save more lives

If you’ve been touched by Neil’s story and would like to support Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, your donation can make a big difference. Every penny helps us continue our life-saving work.

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