Mum aims to buy life-saving aid
Roadside CPR incident sparks quest
A MOTHER-OF-TWO is fundraising to buy a defibrillator for her village after witnessing a cyclist suffer a “terrifying” heart attack.
Maria Crowie-Mcgrath, from Bagworth, was driving through Thornton last month when she saw a man being given CPR on the roadside.
The married 35-yearold pulled over to help and saw that the man, Peter Ward, from Ratby, was not breathing.
A cardiac nurse, who happened to be driving by at the time, administered CPR for 25 minutes before the ambulance arrived.
Peter, an electrician and dad-of-three, survived and is recovering in Glenfield Hospital after spending several days in intensive care.
Maria said: “He had suffered a massive heart attack, his heart had stopped beating and he had no pulse.
“By the time the ambulance arrived he was already starved of oxygen and they used a defibrillator to revive him.
“He is very lucky to be alive, he wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for the cardiac nurse.”
The senior nursery nurse was so shocked by the ordeal that she set up a fundraising page to purchase a defibrillator for residents in Bagworth.
She said: “If we had had a defibrillator nearby we could have used it immediately, before the ambulance arrived and he would not have been starved off oxygen for so long.
“He could have died and I just think: ‘What if that was my family’?’
“It is terrifying.
“If I can raise enough money to buy the defibrillator it will certainly save lives and benefit everyone in Bagworth and nearby villages.”
She is hoping to raise £2,000 to buy the defibrillator from St John’s Ambulance, who will also provide medical training for up to 30 people.
Doctors said the heart attack was caused by a blood clot in one of Peter’s main arteries, which was operated on at Glenfield’s specialist cardiac unit.
His wife Jane, 62, said: “Peter is up and about now and should be okay, but it was touch and go for a while.
“Initially, we were told he might not make it.
“He was very lucky that this lady, and several others, were there to help him.
“Without her intervention, things could have been very different indeed.”
To donate, visit crowdfunding.justgiving.com/ maria-crowie-mcgrath-2
Maria will also have a stall at Bagworth Working Mens Club’s open day on August 13 and the Pony Rescue Family Fun Day on August 27 in the village.