Kingsbury teenager saves man from cardiac arrest death

Geraldo Folie, 59, and his partner Patricia had just arrived back at their home in Kingsbury, Brent, after visiting his mum for Mother’s Day. 

He felt hot, light-headed and experienced a shortness of breath so Patricia went upstairs to get a wet cloth to put over his head.

But when she returned, Geraldo was unconscious on the sofa and had gone into cardiac arrest.

Patricia shouted for help and her daughter Olivia rushed downstairs and dialled 999.

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London Ambulance Service (LAS) call handler Katie Smith answered her call and dispatched an ambulance immediately.

She helped Olivia perform chest compressions to keep Geraldo alive while the medics were on their way.

The 18-year-old moved him onto the floor so he was flat on his back and started pumping his chest.

Katie counted 'one, two, three, four,' out loud on the phone as Olivia firmly pressed down with the heel of her hand on the breastbone in the centre of Geraldo’s chest, clasping both hands together.

She pumped his chest hard and fast, at least twice per second and two inches deep.

Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use of a defibrillation can more than double someone’s chances of survival, which can be done by a member of the public before the ambulance service arrives, LAS said.

Geraldo and Olivia with LAS crew Jesse, Hercules, and Mark (Image: LAS)

“Speaking to Katie really helped," Olivia said.

"I think the most important thing is to be patient and listen to what the call handler has to say. 

"I’m very proud of what I did and it was a very difficult experience to go through but the outcome was definitely worth it.”

Paramedics Hercules De Bruyn and Mohammed Khan took Geraldo to hospital where it was found that he had abnormal muscle growth in his heart, which caused the cardiac arrest.

He has now been fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) which will automatically shock his heart back into a normal rhythm if this ever happens again.

Geraldo said: “If it wasn’t for Olivia and Patricia, I wouldn’t be here. They both helped me to stay on the border until I received that shock.

“I would also like to say thank you to the paramedics who saved my life. The crews were exceptionally professional.”

Katie said: “Good, effective chest compressions are a vital link in the chain of survival.

“Olivia undoubtedly played a major role in saving Geraldo’s life by staying calm, following instructions over the phone, and by continuing to focus on delivering CPR until the crew could take over. 

"I would urge everyone to learn the basics about what to do in an emergency situation - it could literally mean the difference between life and death.”

Mark Faulkner, consultant paramedic and clinical lead for resuscitation at LAS, said Olivia was "incredibly brave" and performed "really effective" chest compressions and that simple life-saving skills can be learned in a few minutes.

He added: "Around 75% of cardiac arrests take place in the home or at a private address. 

“Those first moments are crucial with chances of survival dropping rapidly with every minute. When the patient is without resuscitation every second counts and Oliva’s training from the Scouts and her quick thinking were key in saving Geraldo’s life.”