A midwife who lost her father to cardiac arrest has been recognised for saving another dad’s life.
Melanie Stinton, who works at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, received an award from the Royal Humane Society after helping to save the life of 60-year-old Peter Prendiville, who collapsed during a hockey match.
He suffered a cardiac arrest at a sports pitch near Droitwich Spa Football Club while Ms Stinton was nearby watching her sons play.
She was just a teenager when her own dad passed away at 42 from a cardiac arrest with no one around him who knew how to respond.
Ms Stinton said: “That little bit of me always thinks, ‘if somebody had known CPR or been able to have access to a defibrillator, would they have saved his life?
“So obviously my mission in life has always been, I’m never going to let that happen to anybody else.
“That’s stayed with me all my life.
“If I can stop that happening to another family, then it’s all been worth it.”
Drawing on more than 28 years of annual resuscitation training, Ms Stinton coordinated the emergency response while others delivered CPR.
Mr Prendiville received about 20 minutes of CPR and five defibrillator shocks before paramedics arrived.
He said: “Early CPR and the defib, that’s what saved me.”
He recalled waking up in hospital in pain from broken ribs but feeling incredibly fortunate.
He said: “I look back now and think I’m just incredibly lucky.”
Despite the ordeal, he has returned to the hockey pitch.
He said: “Since I am back on the hockey I don’t do as much running, but my heart’s working much better now and I feel I have more energy.”
Ms Stinton said the experience reinforced the importance of CPR.
She said: “You can go your whole career thinking you’ll never need to use it, but when it happens you realise just how privileged you are to be able to make a difference.”
Six weeks after the incident the pair met in person “which was lovely to know that the early intervention had kept this man alive,” she said.
Mr Prendiville added: “Everybody should learn CPR. You never know when you might need it.
“It could be family, it could be a friend or a random stranger, and you could save a life.”