An Aussie mum has met with the paramedic who helped saved her life by talking her husband and son through CPR during a dramatic triple zero call.
The terrifying incident happened in Perth just over a month ago when Donna Edwards choked on her food before suffering a heart attack.
‘It was the scariest night of my life — I’ll be honest,’ Mr Edwards told 7News.
Mr Edwards recalled how he was in their back room watching the football and his wife was having dinner in the front room.
Their teenage son Lachlan discovered Ms Edwards choking and unresponsive and they instantly called the emergency number.
Heart-racing audio from the call reveals Ms Edwards struggling to breathe as Mr Edwards relays what he is seeing to dispatcher Tegan.
‘Okay, her eyes are open, and she’s not doing anything,’ Mr Edwards said.
‘She’s trying to breathe. . . she’s just sucking (in) air.’
St John Ambulance triple-0 dispatcher Tegan (pictured) coached Mr Edwards and Lachlan how to perform life-saving CPR on Mrs Edwards
Paramedics arrived on the scene and Ms Edwards was rushed to hospital, where she spent a month recovering
Tegan is heard instructing Mr Edwards and Lachlan how to perform CPR.
‘Pump the chest hard and fast, 30 times,’ Tegan said.
‘At least twice per second, and at least five centimetres deep.’
‘Just blow two breaths into her mouth… and tell me when you’ve done that.
‘The chest should rise with each breath.’
Paramedics arrived on the scene and Ms Edwards was rushed to hospital, where she spent a month recovering.
Donna Edwards (pictured) choked and suffered a heart attack before being saved by the quick- thinking actions of her husband and son
Fortunately for Mrs Edwards her husband had completed a first aid refresher course only weeks earlier.
Mr Edwards’ instructor Monique Gillet said although she hopes her students never need to use their first aid skills, ‘You kind of hope that if they do need to, they will be confident enough to do it.’
On Saturday, Mr and Mrs Edwards met Tegan, the triple-0 dispatcher.
One of the first responders to assist Mrs Edwards Paramedic Cody praised the life-saving actions of Mr Edwards.
‘Derek had done such effective CPR she actually had a pulse when we arrived which was amazing,’ he said.
‘It makes our job a lot easier. But she was still in respiratory arrest at the time, she had quite a large obstruction in her airway.’
Tegan also was full of praise for Mr Edwards and Lachlan who ‘handled it so well’, despite the critical situation.
Mrs Edwards implored everyone to receive first aid training.
‘It could happen to anyone at anytime, and if Derek didn’t know what he knew, yeah I wouldn’t be here, so I think it’s very important,’ she said.
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