Norwich man reunited with volunteer who saved his life

Suffering a cardiac arrest is one thing, but to suffer a cardiac arrest whilst driving is a terrifying experience. Luckily, for Melvyn Lincoln, on the day this happened to him a series of amazing coincidences and quick actions by a community first responder and bystanders helped save his life.

When the 999 call was received, the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) dispatched Community First Responder (CFR) Luke Baldwin who arrived on scene in less than four minutes, followed closely by an ambulance crew.

Already on scene were bystanders Zoe Clarke and Emily Brown, who immediately commenced cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In a stroke of fate, Zoe also happened to be an emergency medical technician (EMT) with EEAST and Emily a nurse from the local hospital.

Thanks to the quick actions of Zoe and Emily, Luke who was carrying an automatic external defibrillator (AED) in his kit, was able to shock Melvyn and restart his heart bringing him back to life.

Melvyn, still in a critical condition, was transported by the ambulance crew to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital where he received specialist treatment and fortunately is now making a strong recovery.

In an emotional reunion today at the ambulance service’s Norwich Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), Melvyn thanked the volunteer who helped saved his life, Luke, as well as his ‘angels’ Zoe and Emily.

To Luke, Zoe and Emily he had this to say: “I couldn’t have been luckier to have had Zoe, Emily and Luke there, if it hadn’t been for them I wouldn’t be here today.”

He added: “I don’t remember much but I know that fate brought us together on that day and they saved my life.”

Melvyn, curious about how he managed to receive lifesaving care so quickly, was then taken on a tour of the EOC where he got to see first-hand the triage and dispatch system used by EEAST to rapidly deploy resources to critically ill patients across the region.

During this year’s National Volunteers’ Week (1^st – 7^th June) we are celebrating and highlighting the amazing work of our volunteers.

This includes our community first responders (CFRs) who are trained to attend certain types of emergency calls in the area where they live or work. Their aim is to reach a potential life threatening emergency in the first vital minutes before the ambulance crew arrives.