PRESS RELEASE
By Loraine Coleman, Herefordshire Heartstart
Lifesaver recognised for her actions
Meryl Kemp Awarded Certificates for Saving a Man in Cardiac Arrest
A local Hereford Woman has been recognised for using her Heartstart skills after saving a man in cardiac arrest. Meryl has since been presented with two Special Achievement Certificates, one from the British Heart Foundation and one from Herefordshire Heartstart for successfully using her Heartstart skills
Meryl Kemp was out walking her dog in Aylestone Park and found herself putting her Heartstart skills into practice when a man collapsed. She called for help and started chest compressions.
She said: “When I first came across him he was blue and making a strange noise, but I couldn’t see or feel any signs of breathing. After several rounds of chest compressions his colour returned to normal and he came around. By then his wife had arrived and an ambulance was on its way.”
The certificates were awarded to Meryl in recognition of her dealing with this life threatening emergency. Her confidence in using the Emergency Life Support skills shows how important learning these skills at a Heartstart course can be.
Dr John Ballance, Medical Director and Chairman of Herefordshire Heartstart said: “This was a fantastic achievement, made possible through the teaching of Heartstart. The more people we can train, the more lives will be saved.”
Both Herefordshire Heartstart and the British Heart Foundation are very proud of Meryl’s achievement and that she knew what to do in an emergency after attending a Heartstart course.
Anyone can attend a two hour Heartstart course, which teaches how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), how to deal with choking, loss of consciousness, serious bleeding and how to recognise the warning signs of a heart attack.
The two hour free Heartstart courses are open to anyone from the age of 10 upwards. For more information, visit www.herefordshireheartstart.org or email info@herefordshireheartstart.org or contact the Co-ordinator/Project Manager Loraine Coleman on 0845 60 60 654.
Herefordshire Heartstart is a registered charity (no 1082309) – donations important
Heartstart is a local initiative supported by the British Heart Foundation however we do not receive any funding from them, nor the government to run our scheme. We rely on donations and grants to keep this vital service running to benefit the people of Herefordshire.
Notes to Editor: For any further information contact Loraine on the above number. Meryl did not want any photos to appear.
Wednesday 29th January 1.45pm
