Steward thankful to others after CPR saves Cambridge United fan's life
Paul Harrison was one of the first people to help the Us fan
A man who helped save the life of a Cambridge United fan has said he couldn't have done it without others.
David Ince suffered a cardiac arrest while watching the Us play Rotherham in a League One fixture at the Abbey Stadium on October 1.
Before paramedics could arrive, steward Paul Harrison was one of the first people to attend to David, 67, as he administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
"One minute, all these fans started shouting 'help, help, help' and I found this person on the floor who looked like he collapsed," Paul recalled.
"For a second or two, I tried to find a pulse but couldn't find one and in that minute, I thought 'something isn't right here'.
"We couldn't stop the game; we thought we'd crack on and got David to hospital quite quickly, so I'd say a big thanks to club doctors, paramedics, St John Ambulance and all the stewards who helped that night."
David, who had previously had a heart attack seven years ago, was taken by land ambulance to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge and is currently recovering.
Paul has been helping more people learn how to perform CPR as part of the Resuscitation Council UK's Restart a Heart campaign, which aims to increase the number of people surviving cardiac arrests outside of a hospital setting.
But situations like David's is something that doesn't seem to faze Paul, who's also a porter at Addenbrooke's.
"As porters we do see a lot of sights, and we just get on with our jobs and forget what's going on; we're not going to get the job 100% right, but on that night, we got it right," he added.
"It (a cardiac arrest) can happen to a member of your family at home, and if something did happen at home, would you know what to do?
"If you learn CPR, you can hopefully save somebody's life."
CPR training sessions as part of the campaign, which focus on chest compressions, use of automated external defibrillators, the management of choking, and the use of a technique called “the lateral position”, will continue in and around Cambridge this and next month.