Advanced Nurse Practitioner Alex Megias rushed to help when an opposition player collapsed.
An off-duty nurse and amateur footballer rushed to help after an opposition player suffered a cardiac arrest during a football match.
Advanced Nurse Practitioner Alex Megias works at Aintree Hospital in Liverpool and rushed to help when John Harkin collapsed mid-game.
Mr Harkin collapsed during the game and CPR and defibrillation were administered until the ambulance arrived by Mr Megias and a cardiac specialist who happened to be passing by.
He had a total of 27 minutes of downtime before being transferred to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
The match was called off.
The game between Old Xaverians FC and Larkin FC was called off.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Megias said: “I had to shock him twice before the ambulance came round.
“I’m trained to do a lot of things in a hospital environment, where you have a team and drugs on access.”
“But while you’re out there on your own in the mud, it’s really difficult. I felt powerless.” He added that he was “really glad that [Mr Harkin] was doing well”.
Mr Harkin spent several weeks in hospital and was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
Thank you.
The game between the two sides was rescheduled with Mr Harkin heading to the changing rooms afterwards to thank Mr Megias for his heroic actions.
In an interview, Mr Harkin explained, “It’s a traumatic experience for everyone. It’s more traumatic for the people around you because they see everything that’s happening.
“I didn’t want everyone to have that memory in their mind. I turned up at the replayed game and I went into their changing room afterwards and had a nice moment where I shook his hand and said thanks very much because he saved my life.
