Hero couple saved heart attack victim
Pair stop man’s car & perform CPR
A COUPLE have been hailed as heroes after saving the life of a heart attack victim.
Mark Mcdonnell and Laura Armada Buch, from Termonfeckin in Co Louth, were thanked by the family of the man who collapsed while driving with his wife in a packed car park.
The pair’s quick actions enabled Mark, 46, to stop the swerving motor before it crashed, then Laura performed CPR for 10 minutes until paramedics arrived.
Laura, 37, said the drama happened “in a flash” as she was putting the children in their Mark Mcdonnell and his partner Laura Armada Buch THREE grandads have proved age is just a number as they celebrate a second shot at life with their new kidneys.
After years of dialysis the Cork trio finally got life-saving organ donations.
Charlie Keane, 67, and 70-year-old Dermot O’connell received transplants car. She added: “Mark noticed a car was making a funny noise coming around the corner. All of a sudden he took off over to the car when he saw the driver fall back in the seat. “As the car swerved, he pulled the handbrake and took the keys from the ignition so it wouldn’t crash.” Luckily Laura is trained in first aid and ran to help during the drama last Bank Holiday Monday at the M1 retail park. She at Beaumont Hospital within hours of one another. They have bonded over their new lease of life and are eternally grateful to their same deceased donor.
Dermot said: “It was a huge coincidence that another patient, Charlie Keane, who like me also attended dialysis treatment at the same hospital, was called for a kidney transplant on the same day.”
Just weeks later Dermot’s friend Donal said: “The man had turned purple in the face and was struggling to breathe. I was looking for a pulse but couldn’t find one.
“Other people had come on the scene and I asked some men to lift him out of the car so I could perform CPR.”
Fitness instructor Laura continued with the treatment until paramedics got a pulse with a defibrillator.
She said: “His wife was also in the car and I think she was in a shocked state.
“I just remember thinking he may not make it but that I was going to give it my best shot to save him.” The couple were
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O’flynn, 77, was told he too would be granted a transplant thanks to another deceased donor.
He said: “I feel like a much younger man than I had for such a long time. I now can look forward to the impending arrival of my sixth grandchild and spending more quality time with my wife Helen and my growing family.
“Without the generosity of my donor my prospects would have been very delighted to hear the man was transferred to a Dublin hospital for a triple bypass and is recovering well. They said: “His wife got in touch to thank us and her husband wants to meet up when he’s able.”
The incident took place at 1.30pm when Mark, Laura and their two sons Dylan, eight, and four-yearold Izan were coming from a kids’ swimming lesson.
The boys had watched the drama unfold and later that evening Mark caught Izan performing CPR on a water bottle.
His dad recorded a video of him and he explains that he saw his mum save a man’s life and he would perform resuscitation too until he started breathing.
The man had turned purple and was struggling to breathe LAURA ARMADA BUCH
different. I thank my donor.” Meanwhile, HSE Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland said a record 311 transplants from 99 deceased donors were carried out last year in Ireland.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Irish Kidney Association.
Organ Donor Cards can also be obtained by calling 01 6205306 or Free text the word DONOR to 50050. Visit websitewww.ika.ie/card