Milton Keynes park worker scoops top life saving honour after helping Bedford woman rescue husband from brink of death

A Bedford woman could not have shown her love for her husband more dramatically than she did on Valentines Day this year when she played a major role in bringing him back from the brink of death.

Christine Nixon and her husband Steve, from Bedford, were at Emberton Country Park, Milton Keynes, when Steve collapsed with a heart attack.

Christine, with the help of park worker Samuel Flowers, from Milton Keynes, and another unidentified woman then fought a life and death battle by the side of the park’s lake to save Steve – and thankfully succeeded!

Steve was taken to hospital where he went on to survive and all three have now been praised for playing a major role in his survival.

The lakeside drama took place on the morning of February 14th this year. Samuel was working in the park when he heard cries for help. He found Christine calling the emergency services with her husband lying unconscious on the ground.

He told her to remove her husband’s upper clothing, then began administering cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and at the same time talked the worried wife through how to administer it. He then left the scene to fetch a defibrillator and returned to administer two shocks.

In the meantime the other woman had arrived and she and Christine continued to administer CPR while MK park worker Samuel went to the entrance of the park so he could direct the ambulance to the scene when it arrived.

They were not out of the woods yet, though as further problems arose. The ambulance got stuck in mud and Samuel had to help push it out. Thankfully Steve was eventually taken to hospital where he went on to survive.

Now Christine, Samuel and the unidentified woman have all been praised by Andrew Chapman, Secretary of the Royal Humane Society, for their part in saving his life.

“Time is of the essence in situations like this,” said Mr Chapman.

“The sooner CPR is started the better the chances are that it will succeed.

“CPR was started rapidly after Mr Nixon collapsed and this undoubtedly played a major role in his survival. At the same time this is yet another incident which emphasises the value of as many people as possible, not just members of the emergency services, learning how to administer CPR.

“It can, as it did here make the difference between life and death.”

The roots of the Royal Humane Society stretch back more than two centuries. The Queen is its patron and its president is Princess Alexandra. It is the premier national body for honouring bravery in the saving of human life.

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