DEFIBS VITAL AT ALL CLUBS
Hamish (20) praises club and medical staff for rapid action
A young Blairgowrie rugby player has thanked his team-mates and medical staff for saving his life after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a training session.
Hamish Bell (20) nearly died but was saved by the quick actions of those present when the drama unfolded at JJ Coupar Recreation Park last month.
And the University of Aberdeen student, who has played rugby with Blairgowrie RFC since he was 12, was keen to stress the importance of having a defibrillator at all grounds and of having trained first aiders present.
He told the Blairie: “The last thing I remember is putting my bottle of water down and starting to play.
“I’ve been told I said I had a pain in my chest and then I had a fit, and then my heart stopped.
“They started CPR and then used the defib which is on the wall of the changing rooms.”
He said: “The team that plays together so well on the pitch came together as a team for this too.
“I also want to say a big thank you to the staff in the hospital, the nurses on Ward 21, who were all lovely and gave me a good laugh every day, the ICD device clinic and the A&E team.”
A young Blairgowrie rugby player was presented with a signed British Lions top at the weekend after he suffered a cardiac arrest while training at the club last month.
Hamish Bell (20) nearly died but was saved by the quick actions of his team-mates.
And the University of Aberdeen student, who has played rugby with Blairgowrie RFC since he was 12, was keen to stress the importance of having a defibrillator at the grounds and of having trained first aiders present.
Hamish, who is a business management student, says he can’t remember much about the harrowing incident other than what people have told him.
He told the Blairie: “The last thing I remember is putting my bottle of water down and starting to play.
“I’ve been told I said I had a pain in my chest and then I had a fit, and then my heart stopped.
“They started CPR and then used the defib which is on the wall of the changing rooms.
“Someone called an ambulance and my pal took his boots off and ran barefoot down the road to my mum’s house to get her. The next thing I was waking up in hospital the next day.
“I think I vaguely remember bits of A&E but it feels like a bit of a dream.”
Hamish spent the next two-and-a-half weeks in Ninewells Hospital in Dundee where he underwent a range of tests, including a test to see if he had what Danish footballer Christian Eriksen – who also suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch just days before Hamish’s own brush with death – has.
Hamish said: “That came back negative, and I was fitted with a S-ICD [Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator] which monitors my heart rate and rhythm and shocks the heart if it detects any abnormalities.
“They describe it as like a guardian angel or an ambulance crew in your chest – whenever you need it, it’s there.”
Despite his life-saving operation, Hamish has been told that he is no longer able to play rugby.
He said: “It’s gutting, but there are always things I can do to support the club and stay involved.”
And he wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone at the club for all they have done
for him.
He said: “The team that plays together so well on the pitch came together as a team for this too.
“It is important to recognise the role the whole club played in this, and how vital having a defib on site was.
“The doctors said that there was a 95 per cent chance someone in my situation wouldn’t make it without that intervention so that shows you how important it is.
“I think every sports venue should have a defib on site.
“You would not expect a 20 year-old like me who has never had any health issues before and was fit and active to have experienced this, and it just shows it can happen to anyone.
“Getting the shirt was a nice surprise too, they had to cut my Lions top off me when they used the defib, and it is just awesome that it is signed as well.
“The club also managed to arrange for the three Scottish members of the Lions, Stuart Hogg, Hamish Watson and Zander Fagerson, to send me a video message when I was in hospital which gave me a real boost too.
“Thanks in particular, though, to Dave Malloch, Mike Grant, Phil Maxwell and Sarah Rattray for everything they did for me on the pitch.
“I also want to say a big thank you to the staff in the hospital, the nurses on Ward 21 – who were all lovely and gave me a good laugh every day – the ICD device clinic and the A&E team.”
President of Blairgowrie RFC, Mark Reddin, said: “We got the defib a few years ago thanks to fundraising by the family of Billy Haggart and the club.
“The fact that it is there is literally a lifesaver – it only took someone 30 seconds to run to get it at the time and save Hamish’s life.
“If we didn’t have it, things could have been very different.
“We would encourage any sporting club to do a bit of fundraising to get a defib
“Even though they cost a few hundred pounds they are actually priceless if you find yourself in a situation where you need to use them to save someone’s life.
“The SRU has also recently given everyone in the Scottish national team first aid training and is looking at working to support local clubs to do the same.
“We’re lucky that we have a number of members of our club who are first aid-trained through their work in the emergency services, but we would still encourage everyone to take responsibility for looking after themselves and to look out for each other.”
It is important to recognise the role the whole club played in this, and how vital having a defib on site was Hamish Bell