‘Louis was in the right place at the right time’
29-year-old’s cardiac arrest while working
FAMILY and friends of a man who suffered a cardiac arrest have raised £5,175 to enable heart screening to take place in young people.
Last year, Louis Fallows, aged 29, collapsed at work.
To raise funds for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) Louis’s partner, Lucy Parfitt, organised a Three Peaks challenge.
Lucy said: “On August 29, 2019 I was called to say that my partner Louis had collapsed at work and I needed to make my way to the A&E department as quickly as possible.
“On my arrival I was informed that Lou had suffered a cardiac arrest and that CPR that had been carried out by his colleagues that had saved his life.
“When they tried to bring him around he suffered another cardiac arrest and was placed in a coma for three days to help his body recover from the trauma.
“On the third day he was brought around from the coma and although he had no idea what was going on I have never been so grateful.
“The following day he was awake, although didn’t feel great. After two weeks in hospital he was fitted with an internal defibrillator to ensure that this could never happen again.
“I am well aware that I am so privileged for Louis to be alive. Many people have lost family members with no prior warning due to cardiac problems. If it weren’t for his cardiac arrest happening in the presence of people who were trained in CPR I would be in a different situation today. He was off work for four months.
“Louis works at the Royal Stoke University Hospital as a maintenance technician, his colleagues performed CPR on him until the ambulance and paramedics arrived. Thankfully he was in the right place at the right time, if it was to happen anywhere he was in the best place he could have been.”
To raise funds to help with screening young people Lucy and Louis of Werrington along with Louis’s dad Jeremy Fallows of Kingsley Holt and family friend Ian Marsh have now completed the Three Peaks challenge over three days. This involved Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon. The team were joined by different friends and family members to do Scafell Pike and Snowdon walks.
Lucy said: “I know I wouldn’t have made it up those mountains if we weren’t doing it for charity so thank you to all who have donated and helped us to raise the funds. We have been raising money for CRY as we want to raise enough money to facilitate a screening in a local area to us. A screening means that young people can be tested and that lives can be saved.
“The walks over the three days were hard, but we have received a lot of support.”
Every week in the UK at least 12 apparently fit and healthy young people die of undiagnosed cardiac conditions. With your donation, CRY can reduce the frequency of young sudden cardiac death (YSCD) by working with cardiologists and family doctors to establish good practice and appropriate screening facilities to promote and protect the cardiac health of the young. By supporting CRY you will help save young lives from these potentially fatal cardiac conditions.
To support the teams effort and to donate to CRY go to Lucy’s fundraising page at: https://www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/lucy-parfitt3