PRECARE

Friday June 28, George laced up his boots for what should have been just another game with his over-45s soccer team. The day hadn’t carried any warning signs, no sense that anything was about to change. In fact the most unusual thing he still remembers was his sister-in-laws cat being affectionate.It was the kind of moment you don’t think twice about, until later when it becomes unforgettable.

“I was playing with my nephews and nieces before heading off to soccer, Audry, my sister in law’s cat, was cuddling and rubbing up all over me, which never happens, I actually took a video it was so unusual’

The rest of the day passed without incident. George arrived at his game feeling completely like himself. He ran, he played, he even scored a goal. But as the match wore on, something shifted. He asked his team to bench him because he wasn’t feeling well. That’s where George’s memory ends.

‘Later, my teammates recounted the moment they knew something was wrong. They said I’d gone blue in the face and was making strange breathing noises like snoring and started foaming at the mouth.’

George had suffered a cardiac arrest.

In those critical moments, it was his teammates who stepped in, recognising something was terribly wrong, acting quickly, and trusting the instructions of the AED as it guided them through CPR and delivered a shock.

When the Triple Zero call came through, NSW Ambulance crews and the PRECARE team were dispatched. They were told CPR was already in progress, and an AED had been applied. What they didn’t have know at the time was just how extraordinary that detail was. The AED was only there because of George’s own campaigning and funding 2 years prior.

‘I actually campaigned really hard for the defib (AED), we’d been to a few sports fields that didn’t have them, or we didn’t know where they were, so a few of my teammates and I campaigned, and put in money towards it. I didnt even think at the time I might be the one needing it.’

In hospital, the days that followed are a blur to George. But one feeling stands out clearly, he felt safe.

‘I was never scared, I’ve had a medical condition which I went in for surgery on when I was 27, so I’ve always lived life like it might be short. I always try to be positive, but I’ve always said even to my wife and kids, I think I’m going to have a short life.’

That perspective, quietly shaped over years, carried him through his recovery. With the combined help of his teammates, paramedics, hospital staff, and the PRECARE team, George survived and is able to get back to living his life fully.

‘I had a pacemaker and internal defibrillator inserted, and I now carry around a defib in my car, but I haven’t had any new medical issues since that day. I know the survival rate of out of hospital cardiac arrest is very low, so I want to continue taking the good things out of life.’

Since that day George has embraced life with even greater intention. Some things haven’t changed, his positivity and outlook, but other things have change, for the better.

‘I went to Greece with my wife for the first time in 35 years, and became a grandfather for the first time, my daughter is also getting married soon… I really believe in Karma. Do good things and you’ll get good things out of life. I’m just so appreciative I get to keep experiencing the good.’

PRECARE thanks George for telling his story.