My best friend saved my life after a cardiac arrest
Cycling buddies’ relief following road emergency
A HERO GP saved his best friend’s life when he stopped breathing minutes after the pair had completed a 50-mile bike ride.
Dr Kashif Ali performed CPR on super-fit Niaz Haq for 15 minutes outside a petrol station near Glasgow last month.
The doc, 43, only stopped when paramedics arrived to take over. And thanks to Kashif ’s lifesaving skills, Niaz, 48, survived the cardiac arrest.
After spending more than a week in hospital, Niaz said: “I’m feeling very grateful that my best friend saved my life. He later told me I’d pretty much died for 15 minutes.
“We’d parted ways minutes before after a ride with our cycle club. When I felt ill, for some reason I phoned Kash instead of an ambulance. It was the best thing I could have done. He was like an angel and saved me.”
Kashif said: “When I arrived home, Niaz phoned and asked if I’d pick him up as he wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t pedal any more. I asked if he had chest pains and he said, ‘No’. I drove to the BP garage at Ayr Road in Newton Mearns and found him sitting on the pavement outside.
“He didn’t seem right. He was shivering and said he felt sick and dizzy so I helped him into my car and put the heating on.
“He became unresponsive, like he’d passed out. I couldn’t find a pulse and realised he was in cardiac arrest.”
Kashif pulled Niaz out of the car and on to the pavement where he started CPR. He had called 999 from his car’s hands-free phone.
As Kashif pounded on Niaz’s chest, an off-duty policeman and a man and woman stopped to help.
Kashif said: “They were absolutely fantastic and the policeman took over. He spoke to the ambulance service and directed traffic while the other two helped with CPR. When the paramedics arrived, they shocked Niaz using a defibrillator and were able to get a pulse back after a minute or so.
“Even as they got him into the ambulance, I wasn’t sure he was going to survive, and if he did, what kind of state he’d be in.”
Niaz was taken to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where a blood clot was removed rom an artery in his heart.
He only found out what happened when he woke up the next day.
Charity volunteer Niaz said: “I am very physically fit. I climb mountains, hike and cycle so it was shocking what happened.”
Kashif added: “I’m elated I managed to help save him, that he’s still here and we’ll be able to cycle together again one day.”
He later told me I’d pretty much died for 15 minutes NIAZ HAQ AFTER SCARE FOLLOWING CYCLE RIDE