CHARLIE’S STORY
CHARLIE’S STORY
A dad who suffered a cardiac arrest while carrying a TV upstairs says he owes his life to his teenage son’s quick-thinking and the treatment he received from the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance crew.
It was February 2023, and Charlie Wagstaff and his family were moving house. They had spent much of the day carrying things into their new home at Marston, near Grantham. But without warning, Charlie (47) suffered a cardiac arrest carrying a TV up the stairs and collapsed at the top, not breathing.
Luckily his son Josh, understood what was happening and immediately started CPR. Within ten minutes Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance crew were by his side, taking over the CPR and giving advanced life support which brought Charlie’s heart back into rhythm.
Doctor Richard Bayliss sedated and stabilised Charlie before he was taken to Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre.
Charlie spent a few weeks recovering in hospital, where doctors also fitted him with a cardioverter defibrillator.
Months later, as Josh and his ten-year-old sister, Eva were struggling to come to terms with what had happened, LNAA’s Patient and Family Liaison team invited the family to LNAA’s HQ to meet the crew.
The two children found comfort in talking to Doctor Richard who talked them through what the team did to save their dad.
The family were able to express their gratitude and have pledged to fundraise for LNAA in the future.