Mother's message to Heartsafe campaign
Sue Wyke will always remember the date – January 25, 2012. But that is all she remembers. The rest is a blur.
"You don't remember what has happened," the 60-year-old said. "You have no idea. You totally rely on what others tell you happened."
Mrs Wyke was at work with South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Trust when she was being visited by her daughter just after lunchtime.
"I said I felt faint and I collapsed. My daughter Hayley said it looked like I was having a seizure. As I fell I hit my head.
"She put me in the recovery position and called for an ambulance and said she thought I had stopped breathing.
"Fortunately, the ambulance station is opposite my work in Stafford.
"They were there in less than three minutes and used defibrillators to shock me several times on the pavement. I think I had 45 minutes of CPR and was taken to Stafford A&E."
At 1.04pm, Mrs Wyke's family was told there was nothing more that could be done. But as medical staff went to take away the machines they found a pulse.
She spent two months in hospital and was back in work after six months.
The experience led the married mother of two to campaign for defibrillators in Stafford, where she lives.
She is now backing the Express & Star's #heartsafe15 campaign, which is raising £57,000 for 25 defibrillators around Wolverhampton. She said: "Defibrillators will save lives and we need to get them installed and let people know they are there."
We have teamed up with defibrillator fundraisers AEDdonate to launch our campaign – backed by West Midlands Ambulance Service and Wolverhampton council. Our partners AEDdonate are today encouraging businesses to take part in Wear Something Crazy Day.
And today our partners AEDdonate are encouraging businesses to take part in Wear Something Crazy Day.
Businesses or groups wanting to get involved or further details can call AEDdonate on 01785 472 224.
You can also give by texting 'AEDW50' to 70070 followed by how much you want to donate. Alternatively, you can make an online donation at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/wolverhampton-aed-campaign. Engage in the campaign by tweeting us with the hashtag #heartsafe15.
