‘It’s saving lives... people should get clued up on CPR’
ASON who saved his dad’s life with CPR has today urged others to learn the skill after a Newcastle fan collapsed at St James’ Park.
Despite having no first aid training, Wayne Johnson was able to bring his father, Stuart, back to life after his heart stopped at home earlier this year.
Now, after an off-duty doctor saved the life of a fellow Magpies supporter after he suffered a cardiac arrest at St James’ Park, Wayne has told how the incident brought emotional memories back for him.
And the 36-year-old has told of his belief that we should all learn first aid.
Newcastle fan Wayne said: “This proves that CPR works. I think people should get clued-up on it. It definitely works. It’s saving lives.”
Wayne, who lives opposite his parents in Blyth, had been doing work at their home when his 73-year-old dad took ill.
He had popped out for lunch, but as he returned his mum ran out the house screaming.
Wayne found his dad lying face down by the stairs. When he rolled him over, his face was blue and purple and he wasn’t breathing.
Desperate not to see his dad die, Wayne immediately started CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) until his heart restarted.
Wayne gave Stuart CPR for 15 minutes until the ambulance arrived and paramedics took over, giving him two shots of adrenaline and four shocks with a defibrillator.
Doctors later said that Wayne had given Stuart’s organs the best possible chance of survival. After six weeks in hospital, the grandfather was able to return home to his family.
Newcastle’s Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur was halted during the first half on Sunday after a fan collapsed in the stands.
Dr Tom Prichard, an A&E consultant at the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton, was among the fans who rushed to help the supporter.
He performed CPR on the man, who was then treated using a defibrillator and rushed to hospital, where his condition was described as “stable and responsive”.
The doctor was then serenaded by the Gallowgate End with supporters chanting “hero” as he made his way back to his seat for the remainder of the match, which was restarted after a 20-minute suspension due to the incident.
Wayne said he telephoned his dad after hearing what had happened at St James’ Park
“I was watching the match. I just seen bits and pieces of what happened. It wasn’t until after that I realised what had happened,” he explained.
“I actually rang my dad after the match and we were talking about it. We were just saying how lucky he was that doctor was there and that he got CPR in the stadium.”
United legend David Ginola, who was working as a Sky Sports pundit for the match, spoke of the importance of fans knowing CPR, as he reflected on the heart attack he suffered while playing in a charity match in 2016.
He said: “It brings back some weird memories. I haven’t been in the country for years doing that and you come back to the game and you have a heart-attack issue in the stadium it’s been weird. We were watching a good game and all of a sudden it has been stopped with that.
“The defibrillator helps brilliantly, the fans in the stands to perform CPR helps massively. We all should be able to perform CPR to help each other.”
And Wayne has echoed his sentiment.
He added: “It’s something we should all know about, just in case you are in that situation. It could happen at any time.”