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Carl Walmsley said his first aid training came back to him “in a moment”
A first-aider said remembering the first four minutes were “critical” helped him save the life of a work colleague during a rugby match.
Carl Walmsley was refereeing last month’s game at St Benedict’s Rugby Club in Whitehaven, Cumbria, when player Nigel Blacklock collapsed.
Mr Walmsley, who did his first aid training at work at Sellafield, said he never thought he would use it but his training kicked in and he started cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
He said he felt he could “breathe again” when he heard Mr Blacklock, who also works at Sellafield, was on the road to recovery.
Mr Walmsley said: “I had my back to it all at first, then I heard someone shout that Nigel had gone down, I thought it must have been a typical sports injury.
“But when I turned him over I knew it was something far more serious.
“All I kept remembering from my first aid training was the first four minutes are critical – everything I learned came back to me in the moment.”
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Nigel Blacklock is recovering at home after his heart attack last month
Mr Blacklock’s wife Lyndsey said being told her husband had not moved for 15 minutes was terrifying.
“I panicked, trying to get to the hospital, not even knowing if he would survive,” she recalled.
“It was the longest night of my life.
“We’re taking it one day at a time, he’s not 100% yet, but he’s making progress.
“The support from his colleagues and the rugby lads has been incredible – they’ve checked in constantly and it’s meant so much to our family.”
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