Harefield Gazette

TUBE HERO SAVED BY NURSE HE HELPED

Pensioner suffers heart attack after stopping row on train

- by Will Ackermann will.ackermann@trinitymir­ror.com

WHEN pensioner Stephen Breed stood up for a woman involved in a row on the London Undergroun­d, he had no idea she would soon return the favour – by saving his life.

The 65-year-old grandfathe­r stepped in when he saw a man arguing with nurse Polly Collins on a Metropolit­an Line train.

Moments later, as Mr Breed walked into Uxbridge station, he suffered a heart attack and collapsed at the turnstile and technicall­y ‘died’ three times in the moments that followed. Miss Collins rushed to his assistance, performing CPR while waiting desperatel­y for an ambulance to arrive.

Mr Breed’s daughter, Sarah Panigada, 42, said: “She just turned into Superwoman and knew exactly what to do. She started giving him CPR and she didn’t give up for at least 10 to 15 minutes until the ambulance got there, which is amazing.”

Mr Breed was rushed to Harefield Hospital, which specialise­s in heart operations, where doctors fitted him with a stent before dischargin­g him with medication on Tuesday, January 6.

Miss Panigada, a selfemploy­ed make-up artist living in Queen’s Park, north London, said: “It looks like he’s going to be absolutely OK and live for another 30 years.”

She added: “The paramedics that turned up are angels themselves. I said to all of them, all the hospital workers, each one of them is a hero and an angel.”

Retired warehouse manager Mr Breed and his partner Masdalina Panigada, 62, who live in Wembley, had been travelling to Uxbridge to

shopping when the ident occurred shortly fore noon on Saturday, nuary 3. Miss Collins, who had en on her way to work at llingdon Hospital when e drama unfolded, said e was ‘overwhelme­d’ by e family’s response. But the 43-year-old, ho lives in Grimsby, incolnshir­e, and works r Thornbury Nursing ervices, said: “I was just arrying out the duty of are, being a registered urse, and anybody uld do the same. “At the end of the day, this guy was quite remarkable himself. He defended me in such a manner and it turns out he was the one that needed defending.

“It was quite a sad story that turned out quite remarkably.

“I was just pleased, praise the Lord, that he survived.

“Had he not, I would have had to live with it for the rest of my life, because he didn’t need to do what he did.”

British Transport Police have released a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to in connection with the incident.

They also want to hear from a bystander believed to have filmed the row on his mobile phone.

Call 0800 40 50 40, or text 61016, quoting reference number 130 of 03/01/2015.

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 ?? Contribute­d ?? ‘REMARKABLE’: Polly Collins (left) saved the life of Stephen Breed (right)
Contribute­d ‘REMARKABLE’: Polly Collins (left) saved the life of Stephen Breed (right)
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