'Fit and healthy' Leeds fitness trainer's life saved after bystanders revive her following cardiac arrest on dog walk
Emma Houldsworth knows exactly how fragile a heartbeat can be.
One moment she was taking her dog for a walk with her partner Paul Tilley near their home in Bramley and the next her life was hanging in the balance.
The 44-year-old fitness trainer suddenly collapsed in cardiac arrest.
Her quick thinking partner called 999 and started crucial CPR.
Meanwhile bystanders, including a nurse, were supported by a member of the public who retrieved a defibrillator from Bramley Working Men’s Club.
They helped to revive the mum-of-two who was then taken to Leeds General Infirmary, where she received specialist treatment including surgery to fit an implantable defibrillator and an ablation for cardiac arrhythmia.
Emma said: “I never imagined there would be anything wrong with my heart.
“I’ve always been fit and healthy and have looked after myself.
“I feel incredibly grateful that luck was on my side. If I hadn’t received timely CPR or defibrillation, it would have been a very different story.
“My children would have been without a mum, and my mum would have been without a daughter, only weeks after we had lost my dad.
“I just want other families to have the same chance that I did.”
Determined to turn her ordeal into positive action, Emma is sharing her story in support of Yorkshire Ambulance Service’s Restart a Heart campaign.
She has also launched a ‘Backing a Beat’ fundraising drive to provide more defibrillators and CPR training in the community.
The campaign has already inspired others, with friend Savita Nair, of Calverley, and her family donating a defibrillator each year in memory of her father who died from cardiac arrest, the first of which was installed outside Raynville Superstore in Bramley in August.
Emma’s mum, Margaret, has also pledged a defibrillator, and Emma herself has raised £3,000 towards additional life-saving equipment.
Emma added: “I am so grateful to Paul and the fact that he knew CPR.
“It’s a vital skill; if you ever have to use it, it will likely be on someone you love.
“Learning it ensures you can give them the best possible chance in an emergency.”
For more information about the ‘Backing a Beat’ campaign or to find out how to donate, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/backinabeat