Having moved up from West Sussex earlier that year, they had thrown themselves into local life on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Tracey had been involved in a local play that weekend, and Rob (then aged 59) had helped to dismantle the set. The couple had gone out for a meal with friends when Tracey noticed that Rob had been quiet and not quite himself. It was just after 1am on the Sunday night/Monday morning when she was woken by an “odd noise” coming from Rob, before he rolled and fell between the wall and the bed.
“Rob was completely white, and his eyes were rolled back. I started screaming at him,” Tracey says. “In the early moments, I couldn’t even think how to use my phone to call for help, but I somehow managed to call 999. The man on the other end of the line said, “Can you start CPR?…” and he guided me through what to do.”
Rob was in cardiac arrest. When he had fallen, he landed on his back and onto the hard surface of the floor, which helped Tracey to perform effective chest compressions. A team from the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) was nearby and paramedics were at Rob’s side with a defibrillator within just seven minutes.
“I remember the paramedics saying that the air ambulance was coming.”
Doctor Abs and Critical Care Paramedic Neil from East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) were nearby in a critical care car while on their way back to the Norwich base. They were diverted to Rob and Tracey’s house to bring advanced critical care directly to the scene in the moments when Rob needed it most.
“Rob was thrashing about by this point, unaware of what was happening. Then, I saw people dressed in orange walk in and calmly take control of the situation,” Tracey adds.
Rob was safely taken outside to the back of the ambulance, where the EAAA crew could perform the advanced interventions that Rob needed, which included anaesthetising him and taking over his breathing.
“I still can’t believe how it was all done in the early hours of the morning right there outside our house,” Tracey adds.
Rob was then stable enough to be transferred to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital by land ambulance, with Tracey following behind. At the hospital’s A&E department, clinicians advised her that Rob needed a scan, due to past bleeds in brain. Thankfully this showed no signs of neurological damage, however Rob was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for treatment following his cardiac arrest.
“Just 14 hours later, he was extubated, and I couldn’t believe it,” Tracey explains. “I honestly believe that if the EAAA doctor hadn’t arrived when he did and if Rob hadn’t received the treatment he did, then he wouldn’t have survived and been in the amazing condition that he is today. It truly is an amazing feeling. Fate was on our side that night.”
Following having a stent fitted and a stay in hospital, Rob’s recovery was largely positive. Already a keen runner (“I had achieved my season’s best for nine miles the week before my incident.”), he still runs today, but not quite as far. He has also adjusted his diet as tests revealed that he had high cholesterol, and the couple have enjoyed six very happy years since Rob’s cardiac arrest.
Rob explains, “From what I understand, the communication between the various teams who helped me was seamless and all credit to them. Some people say that the stars were aligned – but I think the reality was that somebody had the foresight to recognise what was happening and send the right people.”
Today, Tracey and Rob have been married for 37 years are looking forward to a grand adventure later this year for their “gap year in our 60s” where they will be exploring Central and South America. The couple are very aware that it’s an opportunity they wouldn’t have if Rob’s outcome had been different. The treatment and care he received from EAAA was thanks to the generosity of EAAA donors and fundraisers who make the charity’s 24/7 life-saving work possible.
“The crew from EAAA arriving was a critical point,” Tracey adds. “The timing was everything and the outcome could have been very different otherwise.”
“It was the worst day of my life, but the right resources were there at the right time,” Rob says.