Hero of the GNR
INCIDENT BROUGHT BACK TRAGIC MEMORIES FOR MEDIC
A HERO dad revived a collapsed athlete in the middle of the Great North Run – bringing back heartbreaking memories of the battle to save his own baby boy.
RAF medic Dan Swales was around six miles through the course when a man he was running alongside fell ill.
Without hesitating, Dan, from Guisborough, started using medical training to administer CPR, successfully fighting to save the stricken runner’s life.
But the emergency battle brought back heartbreaking memories for the serviceman.
In May 2017, he was forced to perform CPR on his own son, Noah, in a car park after the 18-month-old stopped breathing.
Tragically little Noah, who had a rare form of meningitis, died.
But memories of his beautiful little boy had spurred Dan on to tackle his second Great North Run to raise funds for the 4Louis charity, which provides keepsakes and support for bereaved parents.
Dan, 34, said: “I glanced at the man running next to me, asked him if he was all right and he said ‘no, not really – I feel dizzy.’ I put my arm around him and took him to the side, then he collapsed on the floor.
“He went on to his back and wasn’t responding. Then another man stopped and said he was a fireman but used to be a nurse.
“We put him in the recovery position on the kerbside, called for medics and assessed him.
“At pretty much the same time, we both realised we couldn’t feel a pulse so we went into CPR.
“An armed response police officer came over from the other side of the road with a medibag.
“I explained I was a medic and the other man was an ex-nurse, so they let us take the lead.
“The police officer took over the CPR while we started protecting his airways, putting oxygen in him and attaching defibrillator pads.”
After two shocks from the defibrillator, a faint pulse returned, and the man was then taken to hospital in an ambulance.
Dan said: “I don’t know how long it took but it seemed a lifetime.”
But despite the dramas, Dan resumed the race and finished in 2:59:43.