A young man and his family have thanked paramedics with a church service for saving his life when he suffered a cardiac arrest on the top deck of a bus.
Joshua, his mother Cecile and brother Austin had just caught a bus in Hornsey to attend the weekly Sunday service at St Francis De Sales Catholic Church, in High Road, Tottenham, when Joshua suddenly collapsed.
His mother immediately began first aid, and another passenger called the emergency services.
Cecile said: “As I came upstairs I saw Joshua on the floor. I tried to put him into the recovery position and told the driver to stop the bus.
"I listened to his chest and he wasn’t breathing so I started chest compressions while another passenger dialled 999.”
The London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade arrived at the scene, and as soon as paramedics arrived they used a defibrillator to restart Joshua's heart.
After five electric shocks from the device, Joshua was breathing again.
Firefighters helped to get him off the bus by creating extra space around the staircase for a safe extraction.
Joshua was taken on blue lights to the Heart Attack Centre at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, where he was treated by cardiologists and put into a medically-induced coma to help him recover.
Now Joshua and Cecile have been reunited with the ambulance crews who saved Joshua's life after the family invited them to a special service at their church in High Road.
Joshua hopes that his story will inspire others to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills.
He also wants people to support the new London Heart Starters campaign to fund additional defibrillators for the communities in London that need them most.
These devices can make the difference between life and death, but more deprived areas including Roundway, Noel Park, Bruce Grove South, South Tottenham, Tottenham North West, Harringay Ladder North, Tottenham Green West and Harringay Warehouse District and Vartry do not have enough.
Joshua, who is studying business at university, said: “Anything can happen and that’s why it’s so important that Londoners are prepared to save someone’s life with CPR and the use of a defibrillator.
“I couldn’t remember anything when I was in a coma but I know how hard the paramedics worked to keep me alive.”
Cecile added: “I can’t thank the paramedics enough for what they did. They really fought to save his life. Andy comforted me and kept in touch to see how Joshua was doing.
“The paramedics became like family.”
Advance paramedic Andy Parker was one of the first on scene and attended the reunion.
He said: “It is wonderful to see Joshua making a really good recovery. It required lots of specialist skills and expertise from all our crews but also our partners at London Fire Brigade.
“We were all determined to give Joshua the best chance of survival. I cannot stress enough the importance of learning CPR to give people the best chance whilst the ambulance service arrives.”
To donate towards defibrillators, visit https://www.londonambulancecharity.org.uk/
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