A BARNSLEY fan who spent more than 50 days in hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest as he left a Barnsley FC match has finally met the supporters who helped save his life.
Michael Tunnicliffe, 72, originally from Wombwell but now living in North Lincolnshire, had travelled to Oakwell for the League One fixture against Wigan Athletic on New Year’s Day and said he was showing no symptoms of what was about to unfold as he left Oakwell after the 1-1 draw.
He was walking along Oakwell Lane when he suffered a cardiac arrest - and that was the last thing he remembers for almost a month.
He told the Chronicle: “We always park up on Doncaster Road and so we were walking on Oakwell Lane.
“My brother said that he heard a loud bang and he turned around and I’d headbutted the tarmac.
“The next thing I remember was waking up 25 days later in the intensive care unit.
“I’d been put into an induced coma and I had no recollection of what had happened.
“I was in hospital for 53 nights and I was told when I woke up in intensive care that I’d still be in hospital for about four to six months.
“I said to my wife that I wouldn’t be here for that length of time - my wife gave me a look and so did the medical staff.
“I had to prove that I could do everything that they wanted me to.”
It later emerged that five football fans - Barnsley supporters Phil McNulty, Kat Abbott and Terri Anderson and two Wigan fans Nathan Sinclair and Dave Hatton - had come together to help save his life.
Phil told the Chronicle that each and every fan that went past tried to help - and he’s grateful for the support of everyone in attendance.
He added: “We were walking up Oakwell Lane when this gentleman just fell and collapsed on the floor about 20 or 30 yards in front of us.
“I thought that maybe he was having a seizure but it quickly became apparent that wasn’t not what it was.
“I’m an epilepsy nurse by trade so I started to help and so did loads of other people.
“Two local nurses, Kat and Terri, were helping and we started to take turns in resuscitating him.
“Both Barnsley fans and Wigan fans were helping and then the emergency services came with the defibrillator - they were brilliant.
“There were so many people that mucked in - all the football fans put their colours to one side that day.”
Phil said he was scouring the internet to see how Michael was and was relived to be find he was recovering well.
“For me I’m just glad that we had the knowledge to know what to do,” he added.
“It’s a miracle that he’s recovered as well as he has.”
And medical professionals were also amazed with Michael’s recovery.
Michael added: “They originally told my family to prepare for the worst and then a few days later they said that I was likely to have some sort of brain damage.
“Some people might say you have that anyway if you’re watching Barnsley,” he joked.
Less than two months after leaving hospital, Michael was fit enough to return to Oakwell
And on Saturday in Wigan Athletic’s return to Oakwell - 326 days after his near-death experience - Michael finally got to meet some of the people that helped save his life.
“It was very emotional,” he said.
“I’d met Phil a couple of times while I was still in hospital.
“Kat was another that I’d already met because she was on the hospital staff when I came out of ICU.
“For the other three it was the first time I’d met them.
“The irony of this all is that when I went out of the house on that day, my wife Pauline said to be to be careful and ‘don’t go and have a heart attack’.”
Here’s some advice from St John Ambulance on what to do should you find someone in a similar situation.
If someone has become unresponsive and they are not breathing normally, they could be in cardiac arrest and you need to act quickly. Call 999 or 112 for emergency help and start CPR, using a defibrillator (AED) if available.
Signs and symptoms
If someone has a cardiac arrest, they may:
n be unresponsive
n not be breathing normally (taking slow, gasping, sometimes noisy breaths)
n show no movement or signs of life./
If you find someone collapsed, you should first perform a/ primary survey (check for a response, open their airway, and look for normal breathing and signs of life for no more than ten seconds)./ If they are unresponsive and not breathing normally, shout for help. Ask a helper to call 999 or 112 and ask for an ambulance while you start CPR. Ask a helper to find and bring a defibrillator, if available.
If you are on your own, use the hands-free speaker on a/ phone so you can start CPR while speaking to ambulance control.
Do not leave the casualty to look for a defibrillator yourself. If there’s someone else there, they can go and collect one. Otherwise, the ambulance will bring one.
( Start CPR. Kneel by the casualty and put the heel of your hand in the middle of their chest.( Put your other hand on top of the first. Interlock your fingers making sure they don’t touch the ribs.( Keep your arms straight and lean over the casualty. Press down hard, to 4-6 cm, then allow the chest to come back up.
Push at a rate of 100-120 per minute (The beat of the song ‘Staying Alive’ can help you keep the right rate). Ambulance Control will tell you the rate to push at too.
( After 30 chest compressions, you should ideally give two rescue breaths. This is done by placing one hand on the forehead and two fingers (of your other hand) underneath the tip of the chin. Using the hand on the forehead, pinch the casualty’s nose with your finger and thumb, allowing the casualty’s mouth to fall open. Take a breath and place your lips around the casualty’s mouth, forming a seal. Blow into the casualty’s mouth until the chest rises. ( Repeat 30 chest compressions at a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute, to two breaths. If you can’t give two rescue breaths, just give continuous chest compressions.( Continue to perform CPR until:/ /
n emergency help arrives and takes over
n the person starts showing signs of life and starts to breathe normally
n you are too exhausted to continue - if there is a helper, you should change over every one to two minutes. Try to minimise interruptions to chest compressions.
n a defibrillator is ready to be used.
( When the helper returns with a defibrillator, ask them to switch it on and take the pads out while you continue with CPR. They should remove or cut through clothing to get to the casualty’s bare chest. They also need to wipe away any sweat.
The defibrillator will give voice prompts on what to do.
( They should attach the pads to the casualty’s chest by removing the backing paper.
The first pad should be on the upper right side below the collarbone.
The second pad should be on the casualty’s left side below and in line with the arm pit.
( The defibrillator will analyse the heart’s rhythm. Stop CPR and make sure no one is touching the casualty. It will then give a series of visual and verbal prompts that should be followed.
If the defibrillator tells you that a shock is needed, tell people to stand back. The defibrillator will tell you when to press the shock button. After the shock has been given, the defibrillator will tell you to continue CPR for two minutes before it re-analyses.
If the defibrillator tells you that no shock is needed, continue CPR for two minutes before the defibrillator reanalyses.
( If the casualty shows signs of becoming responsive such as coughing, opening their eyes, speaking, or starting to breathe normally, put them in the recovery position.( Leave the defibrillator attached. Monitor their level of response and prepare to give CPR again if necessary.
