Swimmer thanks lifeguards and paramedics who saved his life

Fri, 18 Sep 2020

A man who suffered a cardiac arrest while swimming at the National Sports Centre (NSC) has returned to the pool to thank the lifeguards and paramedics who saved his life.

Roy Higgins, 81 and from Onchan, had been swimming at the NSC on 14 July when he suddenly became ill.

After spotting a swimmer was in difficulty, the pool side team were quick to respond.

Having assessed the situation and called 999, lifeguards used their training to perform CPR, before using a defibrillator to successfully restart his heart.

The team continued to care for Roy until the emergency services arrived just seven minutes later, and once in a stable condition he was taken to hospital showing good signs of recovery.

Roy returned to the NSC this week to thank the people who saved his life.

He said: ‘It was really fantastic to meet the guardians of my life. Hopefully they are as pleased with the outcome as I am. I’m in awe of everyone involved and this is a very emotional time. I’d like to give my eternal gratitude to the full team, without their training and actions I wouldn’t be here to tell the tale.’

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