Hartlepool mum saves life of son after he has cardiac arrest at home

Daryl Sanders collapsed at his mum Susan Ray’s house Wednesday, July 20.

When Susan, 52, and a friend of Daryl’s realised he was not responding, they quickly called for the emergency services.

Paramedics in a rapid response vehicle rushed to the address befotre the Great North Air Ambulance (GNAA) flew to the scene to take Darryl, 29, to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

But it was quick-thinking Susan who gave her only child CPR and kept him alive before help arrived.

Self-employed Daryl, dad to Sonny, four, is now recovering at the family’s Greenock Road home, in the Owton Manor area of Hartlepool, told the Mail: “She is a super mum and I’m very lucky to have her.”

Daryl admits he can’t remember much of the time leading up to his blackout, but said: “I can just remember having palpatations and then I hit the floor.

“People say you see the light when things like that happen, but I just saw nothing.

“Then I woke up in a bed in James Cook and I still didn’t know how I’d got there.”

On collapsing, a friend of Daryl’s, who was helping him with some work in the garden, alerted Susan, who immediately gave her son CPR.

“We rang 999 but he was blue in the face and I knew he wasn’t breathing at that point.

“That’s when I knew I had to perform CPR.”

Susan’s quick-thinking actions saved Daryl’s life and after paramedics worked on him for an hour the GNAA flew him to James Cook where he was first put in intensive care and then the critical care unit.

Miraculously, he has suffered no lasting damage and is recuperating at home following two weeks in hospital.

“All the specialists said I was very lucky to get to the hospital in time,” added Daryl, who has his own block paving and landscaping business.

“They told me only 5% of people survive cardiac arrest and many of them that do end up with dementia, whereas I only had some short-term memory loss.

“They gave me an option of having a defibrilator fitted, but if I did I wouldn’t be able to do the work that I do, and I’ve only just set the business up.

“I think it was the stress of the job that brought it on which is why I’m taking some time off.”

Darly, whose girlfriend Sheridan Lith, 24, is mum to his son, paid tribute again to Susan, saying: “My mam has always been there for me and she has been again. I can’t thank her enough.”

The family are now holding a fund-raising garden party on Saturday, September 24, to raise money for the Great North Air Ambulance after the service got Daryl to hospital.

Face painting activities, raffles, tombolas and bake sales will take place and a bouncy castle will be available for children, with all proceeds going to the charity.

Susan said: “We said we wanted to raise about £500 but I think we’ll raise that before the day of the party.

“People from all over Hartlepool have donated prizes and money. Now we’re just hoping the day stays dry.”

Daryl, a former pupil at English Martyrs School, added: “Hopefully we’ll manage to get £1,000. Every little helps.

“It must cost a fortune to provide the service but they really are lifesavers.”

Grahame Pickering MBE, chief executive of the GNAA, said: “We are just glad to have been a part of Daryl’s remarkable survival story.

“We wouldn’t be able to respond to such incidents if it wasn’t for donations from the public, so we are delighted to hear that Daryl and his family are holding a fundraiser for our charity.

“Any money raised will go to supporting this service and making sure we are there for the next patient.

“We’d like to take this opportunity to invite Daryl and his mother down to our airbase to meet the crew who helped him.”