Kent man calls for CPR training in school curriculum after Parkrun cardiac arrest
Martyn Wood from the Isle of Sheppey had a cardiac arrest at Sittingbourne Parkrun in March 2023
A man from the Isle of Sheppey who suffered a cardiac arrest at the end of a Parkrun is calling for CPR training to be in the school curriculum.
Martyn Wood from the Isle of Sheppey had a cardiac arrest at Sittingbourne Parkrun in March 2023.
Five bystanders rushed to his rescue performing CPR and using a nearby defibrillator.
He tells Greatest Hits and Hits Radio he "owes his life" to them.
"I got about 15 yards from the finish line and collapsed.
"If it wasn't for those people around me knowing CPR, I wouldn't be alive.
"It's as simple and straightforward as that."
Martyn, who has now made a full recovery, is calling for every school child across the UK to have annual CPR training as part of the school curriculum.
"Now all I can think of is how they should put CPR on the school curriculum.
"Everybody who goes to school should have a couple of hours, every year, just learning it so it's never out of their heads."
25 people in Kent, Surrey, and Sussex suffer a cardiac arrest out of hospital everyday.
But only 1 in ten survive, according to statistics by campaign group, according to Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex (AAKSS) Charity.
"Early CPR and defibrillation can more than double a loved one’s chance of survival" says an AAKSS spokesperson.
The Air Ambulance Charity is providing free sessions on how to give CPR and use a defibrillator in a series of livestreamed and in-person events to support national Restart a Heart Day on Thursday 16 October.
On 18 October a training session will be held for adults and children at Bluewater Shopping Centre.
For more information on training sessions, you can visit their website www.aakss.org.uk/restart