Cardiac arrest runner wants to thank mystery doctors

A military veteran who suffered two cardiac arrests while preparing for a marathon has appealed for a pair of mystery doctors who helped save his life to contact him.

Fitness instructor Grant Williams was jogging with friends when he suddenly collapsed on 9 March in Liverpool.

The 52-year-old said he had “no memory” of what happened while his running mates resuscitated him and ran for a defibrillator.

Two doctors who were nearby also stopped to help.

Running mate Olivia Nicholson told BBC Breakfast they were reaching the end of a 12-mile (19km) jog on Smithdown Road when her mother, who was running beside Mr Williams, screamed her name.

Ms Nicholson said Mr Williams was lying on the floor and his breathing had turned "strange".

His fellow runners had put him in the recovery position when, "as if by magic", a passing cyclist stopped and told them she was a doctor, Ms Nicholson said.

Together they performed CPR while Ms Nicholson's sister Laura Price scanned the road for any defibrillators.

One was found at a nearby Tesco while a male doctor who was passing also stopped to help.

Mr Williams was taken to Liverpool's Broadgreen Hospital, which specialises in heart conditions.

He had to abandon plans to run in last week’s Manchester Marathon and recently returned home, when he reunited with his running group.

He said "all the eight runners played a massive part" in helping save his life.

Mr Williams appealed for the two doctors to contact him because he was "indebted" to them.

"I'd like to say thank you face-to-face," Mr Williams said.

He hopes to run in the 2025 marathon in his hometown of Newport and aims to raise awareness of defibrillator use.

Usage of the devices to help footballers Fabrice Muamba and Christian Eriksen survive on-pitch cardiac arrests have led to increasing awareness and defibrillators are now in place in all English state schools following a campaign.

Health experts are calling for equal and quick access to the life-saving machines after studies showed people in more deprived areas live further away from an accessible defibrillator than those in wealthier areas.

Charities also recently warned lives are at risk by poorly maintained defibrillators.

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