A 44-year-old nurse stationed in a remote settlement in Western Australia has detailed the moment he saved his own life.
Ryan Franks had finished his shift working at the local nursing post in Coral Bay last week, when he began experiencing chest pains and collapsed.
The seasoned nurse realised he was having a heart attack but tried to remain calm and get help.
Ryan Franks, 44, had just finished his shift as a nurse in remote Coral Bay, Western Australia, when he realised he was having a heart attack
The seasoned nurse managed to prepare his own adrenalin and shock pads before calling a doctor
His expert skills and quick thinking not only saved his own life, but earned Mr Franks the title of ‘self serve nurse’
‘I went home and was just looking forward to the rest of the week then the chest pain arrived and I went “this has got to be something different, it really can’t be chest pain I really can’t be having a heart attack”,’ he told 7 News.
‘Just pretty much everything went blank, eyes started going shaky, my legs went shaky, I just collapsed to the ground I went “I’m in trouble, I’m in trouble”.’
Despite struggling to stay conscious, Mr Franks managed to call his friends, the local St John Ambulance volunteers.
Dr Bea Scichitano, who was on her first ever shift in Perth 1,200km away, answered 44-year-old’s call
With the help his mates, he then prepared his own adrenalin and shock pads before calling a doctor in Perth using the Emergency Telehealth Service.
The nearest hospital is hundreds of kilometres away from Coral Bay, which itself is 1,200km away from Perth.
Dr Bea Scichitano, who was on her first ever shift, answered 44-year-old’s call.
‘I think it probably took me a few seconds to cotton on to the fact that he was the nurse and the patient at the same time, so that was a bit of a shock,’ she said.
His expert skills and quick thinking not only saved his own life, but earned Mr Franks the title of ‘self serve nurse’.