Quick teamwork saves Ken’s life

Ken Jury was a regular at Physiques Fitness Centre, doing a workout four times each week. As he was finishing a workout during July 2008, Ken had a cardiac arrest. His life was saved thanks to the first aid skills of those around him and ambulance officers treating him with a defibrillator to shock his heart back to life.

Seventy-two year old Ken has no memory of his cardiac arrest, or anything that happened that day. It was Monday morning and Ken was finishing his usual gym circuit at Physiques Fitness Centre in Hamilton when he had a cardiac arrest while on the rowing machine.

Physiques manager Aaron Thompson and staff member Louisa Thompson immediately rushed over to Ken. After assessing Ken and realising he was in cardiac arrest they began to perform CPR. Louisa says, “I found that the first aid training I’d done with St John all came back to me when I began to do CPR on Ken.”

After dialing 111, a St John ambulance was on its way, and a doctor and nurse rushed across from the medical centre near the gym to assist Aaron and Louisa with CPR.

St John ambulance officers Alisa Robertson and Mark Lee soon arrived, followed by ambulance officers Mike Pudney and Craig Scott. They were all pleased to see the early assistance Ken had received from those at the scene. St John encourages as many people as possible to do a St John first aid course, as first aid training gives members of the public the skills and confidence to make a difference on the scene when someone needs urgent medical assistance.

Ken was transported by ambulance to Waikato Hospital. He has made a good recovery. Ken was thrilled to have the chance to go back to the gym recently to meet and thank the team who worked together to save his life.

Ken says, “It would be easy to think I was lucky. I know it happened at the right place. I am so grateful for the skills of the gym and medical centre staff, St John and those at the hospital.”

Following this incident, Physiques has purchased a Heartstart Automated External Defibrillator from St John. Defibrillators are as important as CPR when someone goes into cardiac arrest, giving a safe electric shock to restart the heart. Automated external defibrillators are designed for the public to use, and are simpler versions of the defibrillators carried by ambulances and hospitals. The Rotary Club in Te Rapa, which Ken is a member of, donated funds towards the purchase of the Heartstart defibrillator for Physiques.

Physiques manager Aaron Thompson says, “The Heartstart defibrillator is something we are really pleased to have here, but I hope we never have to use it!”

To find out more or to enrol for a St John First Aid course, go to our website at www.stjohn.org.nz/training or phone 0800 ST JOHN (0800 785 646).