"Thank you just isn't enough"

In September 2014 my dad collapsed at the wheel, he had a cardiac arrest, he was 65. He was given CPR and the rugby club had a defibrillator, they got him back but the Hems doctors had to use it 2 more times. He was put in an induced coma and to be honest his chances of survival where extremely low and he would be lucky if he didn't have brain damage.

He was in CCICU and we couldn't fault the care he received, they explained everything that was going on. 4 days later he started to fight the machines and they bought him around, confused but alive. He spent 13 days in total and he had a triple heart bypass. That totally changed his life he looked amazing and he changed his lifestyle as he knew he had a second chance.

In November 2015 he was at St Georges routine visit and totally out of the blue had another cardiac arrest, we call him the cat with 9 lives as again it was the right place for someone to help him, they kept him in for a week in CCU and fitted a defibrillator. He hasn't felt as well on this recovery compared to the bypass, we went to St Georges today for a download appointment, he hadn't felt well whilst out walking last week so he hung onto a road sign and rang my mum but the defibrillator download showed it had shocked him but he hadn't realised it had.

It's amazing how nurses that had treated him come up and talk to him by name as they remember his case. He feels blessed that in reality he should of died in September 2014 and every day he wakes up in the morning he feels truly blessed, life isn't easy but he is here thanks to all of the CCICU staff, the professor of cardiacs who preformed the bypass and other surgeons who did the defibrillator which again has given him life again, the nurses and all the staff behind the scenes.

St Georges is an amazing NHS hospital who have fantastic staff. Nobody knows how long they have on this earth but you have given my dad extra time which we truly cherish. Thank you just isn't enough.