Jonathan brought back to life
An emergency lifesaver has been brought back to life after he collapsed while cycling.
Jonathan Dennis trained in CPR as part of his role as a rugby coach.
But as he learned how to resuscitate cardiac arrest victims, the super-fit and healthy dad of two never dreamt he would need the treatment himself.
First-aiders rushed to his rescue and administered CPR after he collapsed in Whitburn, West Lothian.
Jonathan, 51, from Peebles, told how they fought to keep him alive until paramedics arrived.
“Two CPR-trained people worked solidly for 45 minutes to keep oxygenated blood flowing to my brain,” said Jonathan.
“Ambulance paramedics resuscitated me with a defibrillator and got my heart beating again.
“Then someone ran up from a local shop with a defibrillator and asked if it might be of any use!
“Having it earlier would have saved my rescuers an exhausting 45 minutes of hard-going CPR.”
Jonathan, an economist with the Scottish Government, is now campaigning for 999 operators to have maps of defibrillators in communities around Scotland.
He got in touch with The Sunday Post after reading about young mum Sarah MacMillan’s amazing recovery from a cardiac arrest on the remote island of South Uist.
“I was very lucky,” said Jonathan. “Very few who collapse in similar ways survive.”
After emergency treatment from paramedics, Jonathan was rushed to St John’s Hospital in Livingston.
His wife Kerry, son Alasdair, 21, and daughter Rachael, 18, were stunned when they were told of his collapse.
“The doctors told us there was no guarantee Jonathan would make it but they were transferring him to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to clear a blocked artery leading to his heart,” said Kerry.
“It was only after a week that we felt he would survive.”
Doctors revealed that Jonathan’s history of playing and coaching rugby, along with his cycling regime, helped ensure he was fit enough to survive.
Consultant cardio-thoracic surgeon at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Mr Vipin Zamvar, said: “Everyone should have the skills for administering CPR.”