ON THE BALL
Nurses save player’s life
A nurse awarded for saving a woman’s life on a netball court has said she was just doing her job.
Mother-of-two Anna Simms suffered a brain aneurysm and technically died at Aylesford Bulls Rugby Club last September.
Fortunately for her, two nurses and a midwife were nearby.
Mereworth midwife Gemma Rustrick ran over to administer first aid and was quickly joined by former critical care nurse Christine Rook and staff nurse Laura Collier.
The trio administered CPR for 23 minutes until ambulance crews arrived by road and helicopter.
Miss Collier, of Bicknor Road, Maidstone, said: “I’d only been qualified for six months, you just kind of go into automatic mode and do what you can to help.
“It did take me a while to process. I couldn’t sleep that night, it’s totally different when you’re at work, you’ve got all the kit around you, whereas we were just using our knowledge and our hands to keep somebody alive.
“The three of us did what we could and I’m just glad we were there because I think the situation would’ve been different if she was at home.”
All three life savers were awarded the Royal Humane Society resuscitation certificate last month for their efforts.
The 27-year-old added: “It feels strange receiving an award because we feel we just did our job, but not everybody sees it that way.”
Ten months since the incident,
‘The three of us did what we could and I’m just glad we were there’
Mrs Simms has been left blind in her right eye and has had part of her skull replaced with a titanium plate.
The family liaison officer has had to give up work as she undergoes physiotherapy, while her husband had to do the same to take care of their teenager and one-year-old.
Jay Simms said: “She’s a walking miracle, if you talk to any surgeons they say she was category five (the highest risk of death). But she’s survived.
“It’s been a very stressful year, I gave up work so I could look after the kids. There was no income coming in, we were trying to sort out where our money could come from and of course Anna was still suffering.”
Mrs Simms says her main aims now are to return to driving and to get back to playing netball.