One late afternoon in August 2016, 54-year-old Robert McKellar was playing golf near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire when his life was turned upside down. He suffered a cardiac arrest and required urgent critical care from East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA). A crew from Anglia Two (Cambridge) attended him right there on the golf course to give him the best possible chance of survival and recovery.
Eight days before, Robert had visited a doctor after suffering some unusual pains. Putting it down to a chest infection caused by asthma, Robert’s doctor wasn’t unduly concerned at that time. When Robert had the opportunity to visit a new golf club with friends the following week, he jumped at the chance.
“I have no recollection of that day, but my friends told me later that I was complaining of indigestion,” Robert explains. “Apparently it was still there when we were at the 17th hole. My friends walked to the green to putt – but when they looked back, I wasn’t there.”
They walked back to find Robert unresponsive on the grass.
One in four of the life-threatening emergencies to which EAAA is tasked are cardiac arrests. In these cases, the chain of survival, a series of time-sensitive actions and interventions, can give somebody the best chance of survival and recovery. Bystanders also have a vital part to play by starting the chain of survival as soon as possible, before the arrival of the emergency service by performing CPR and using a defibrillator (AED).
“When my friends saw the colour of me, they thought I was dead,” Robert adds. “But none were first aid trained and one of them had to run the half a mile back to the club house for help. The club had recently got a defibrillator installed – I was the first person who needed it.”
While bystander CPR was performed on Robert and shocks administered by the defibrillator, the emergency services were called. The Anglia Two (Cambridge) crew of Dr David, and Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) Neil were tasked by helicopter to bring advanced skills, equipment and medication directly to Robert’s side. The equipment carried by EAAA’s helicopters and critical care cars enables enhanced care at the incident scene – when the patient needs it most – such as blood transfusions, advanced pain relief, sedation and anaesthesia, and surgical interventions. They landed on the golf course at 5:57pm, just 17 minutes after being tasked.
“I believe they gave me an additional four or five shocks from the defibrillator,” Robert says.
The crew detected a faint pulse. Dr David and CCP Neil then anaesthetised Robert in order to protect his brain. They also administered advanced medication, which isn’t carried by the ambulance service. These advanced skills, equipment and medication are normally only found in a specialist emergency department, but EAAA could bring them directly to Robert’s side on the golf course in the fastest time possible and, crucially, in the moments when he needed them most.
Robert was then transferred by land ambulance, accompanied by the EAAA crew, to Papworth Hospital, which was the most appropriate hospital for his ongoing treatment and care.
“I was in a coma, and my family were told that my chances of survival were slim,” Robert says. “I woke up after four days. I couldn’t remember what had happened, but I knew I was one of the lucky ones. Even my surgeon told me that I shouldn’t be here.”
Robert was able to return home after ten days. Just two weeks later, he played golf again.
“I only parred on the 17th – the hole where I had the cardiac arrest.”
Robert says he is extremely grateful for the support from his employer following his incident and now takes every day as it comes. He boxes, still enjoys golf and was a runner up at two tournaments in 2024.
“If I wake up and can move my feet, it’s a good day! I try to live life to the full, but I know my limits,” Robert says. “I was due to die that day but the crew from East Anglian Air Ambulance did an amazing job. I often see them flying overhead and am reminded how easy it is to have a freak accident or incident. Life is full of fine margins, and I am grateful to be alive.”