Meet the 'angels' who saved a mum's life while shopping!
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Mary Brockhoff and her 11-year-old daughter Beth's trip to their local Coles store in Burwood East was only supposed to be a typical grocery run, but things took a tragic turn when the mum unexpectedly fainted and collapsed over her shopping cart.
The 51-year-old shopper hails from Ringwood East and is a mother to three children; despite showing no symptoms and having no known history of heart disease in her family, she suffered from a sudden cardiac arrest earlier this month.
While everyone else around them stared in shock, the manager on duty at the Melbourne store, Connor Ferris, instantly stepped in to assist the mum and her daughter.
Mr Ferris completed first aid training in the past, so he already had an idea of what to do in emergencies. He was helped by Roy Zeng and Emilia Cox, two of his coworkers who were with him at the time, while they listened to instructions from 000 personnel over the phone.
A mum has revealed how her life was saved when she collapsed while grocery shopping. Credit: NCA NewsWire/Ian Currie.
The 20-year-old began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the mum, and then they grabbed the defibrillator and delivered two shocks to Ms Brockhoff.
'I felt the adrenaline and the rush - at that moment, it was very intense. I've done training on a doll, but it was very different in real life,' Mr Ferris said.
As soon as the firefighters and paramedics arrived, they checked Ms Brockhoff and thankfully found that she had a pulse. She was rushed to the emergency room, where she remained in a medically induced coma for five days; however, she pulled through and is now resting well at home with her loved ones.
If Mr Farris, Mr Zeng, and Ms Cox hadn't acted quickly and decisively, the Brockhoff children might have lost their mum.
As a first-year paramedic student, Ms Cox felt even more inspired to pursue a career in saving people's lives after the unexpected experience. 'If anything, it's made me want to do the job even more,' she said.
Ms Brockhoff thankfully recovered and is now together with her family. Credit: NCA NewsWire/Ian Currie.
The three Coles employees who rescued Ms Brockhoff were hailed 'angels' by the grateful survivor. 'My family and I cannot begin to thank them for their heroic actions. They are a significant part of our family life together moving forward,' said the mum.
Even her husband, Paul, expressed his gratitude to the three individuals, but he had a hard time finding the right words to express his appreciation for the people who had saved his 'everything'.
'How do you thank someone who saved the mother of your children's life?' he asked.
Around 22,000 to 33,000 Australians each year die from sudden cardiac arrest, making it one of the country's leading causes of death and disability.
A sudden cardiac arrest happens quickly and, most of the time, without warning. It is caused by a problem with the electrical system of the heart, which leads to an irregular heartbeat (called an arrhythmia) that stops the heart from pumping.
It just takes seconds for a person to lose consciousness when their heart stops pumping blood to their essential organs, and if they don't get help right away, they could die within minutes.
Doing these steps immediately can save a victim's life. Credit: Heart Research Australia.
Members, please always remember that cardiac arrest is an emergency. If you witness a cardiac arrest, you can increase the person's chances of survival by following CALL, PUSH, and SHOCK.
Folks, we hope you take something useful and interesting from both Ms Brockhoff's story and this article! While we do hope you never have to use this information, we also know how important it is to be ready for anything.
The 51-year-old shopper hails from Ringwood East and is a mother to three children; despite showing no symptoms and having no known history of heart disease in her family, she suffered from a sudden cardiac arrest earlier this month.
While everyone else around them stared in shock, the manager on duty at the Melbourne store, Connor Ferris, instantly stepped in to assist the mum and her daughter.
Mr Ferris completed first aid training in the past, so he already had an idea of what to do in emergencies. He was helped by Roy Zeng and Emilia Cox, two of his coworkers who were with him at the time, while they listened to instructions from 000 personnel over the phone.
A mum has revealed how her life was saved when she collapsed while grocery shopping. Credit: NCA NewsWire/Ian Currie.
The 20-year-old began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the mum, and then they grabbed the defibrillator and delivered two shocks to Ms Brockhoff.
'I felt the adrenaline and the rush - at that moment, it was very intense. I've done training on a doll, but it was very different in real life,' Mr Ferris said.
As soon as the firefighters and paramedics arrived, they checked Ms Brockhoff and thankfully found that she had a pulse. She was rushed to the emergency room, where she remained in a medically induced coma for five days; however, she pulled through and is now resting well at home with her loved ones.
If Mr Farris, Mr Zeng, and Ms Cox hadn't acted quickly and decisively, the Brockhoff children might have lost their mum.
As a first-year paramedic student, Ms Cox felt even more inspired to pursue a career in saving people's lives after the unexpected experience. 'If anything, it's made me want to do the job even more,' she said.
Ms Brockhoff thankfully recovered and is now together with her family. Credit: NCA NewsWire/Ian Currie.
The three Coles employees who rescued Ms Brockhoff were hailed 'angels' by the grateful survivor. 'My family and I cannot begin to thank them for their heroic actions. They are a significant part of our family life together moving forward,' said the mum.
Even her husband, Paul, expressed his gratitude to the three individuals, but he had a hard time finding the right words to express his appreciation for the people who had saved his 'everything'.
'How do you thank someone who saved the mother of your children's life?' he asked.
Around 22,000 to 33,000 Australians each year die from sudden cardiac arrest, making it one of the country's leading causes of death and disability.
A sudden cardiac arrest happens quickly and, most of the time, without warning. It is caused by a problem with the electrical system of the heart, which leads to an irregular heartbeat (called an arrhythmia) that stops the heart from pumping.
It just takes seconds for a person to lose consciousness when their heart stops pumping blood to their essential organs, and if they don't get help right away, they could die within minutes.
Doing these steps immediately can save a victim's life. Credit: Heart Research Australia.
Members, please always remember that cardiac arrest is an emergency. If you witness a cardiac arrest, you can increase the person's chances of survival by following CALL, PUSH, and SHOCK.
- CALL - Call Triple Zero (000) for an ambulance right away.
- PUSH - Push hard and fast in the centre of the chest to start CPR.
- SHOCK - Shock using a defibrillator to restart the heart.
Folks, we hope you take something useful and interesting from both Ms Brockhoff's story and this article! While we do hope you never have to use this information, we also know how important it is to be ready for anything.
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