Father-and-son battled to save mum on kitchen floor

Sue Purvis, 65, almost lost her life after she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while cooking dinner in her Wymondham home.

Her husband Mark Purvis looked on in horror as she collapsed on the kitchen floor, in dire need of immediate CPR to keep her alive.

He called 999, and call handler John Chapman guided him through how to keep oxygen flowing to his wife's brain until ambulance crews arrived.

Mr Purvis and his son Stuart Purvis took it in turns to administer CPR to the 62-year-old while she lay unconscious on the floor, keeping her alive despite her critical condition.

Paramedics arrived on scene at around 5pm, and after receiving three shocks and a shot of adrenaline, the mother of two was successfully resuscitated and transported to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH).

Ambulance practitioner Bryony Shipsey was among the paramedics on scene, and said Mrs Purvis was in a remarkable condition for someone who had just suffered a cardiac arrest.

She said: "We were all pleasantly surprised to find Sue sitting up and trying to talk whilst travelling in the ambulance. She was in such good condition by the time we reached the hospital, even the doctors were shocked she'd had a cardiac arrest just half an hour before."

Now, five months after the dramatic incident, Mrs Purvis has been given the chance to thank her rescuers in person.

At a reunion with the call handler and some of the team that saved her life, Mrs Purvis, accompanied by her husband and two sons Stuart and Chris Purvis, said she did not know how to thank the emergency services enough for their fast action.

She said: "I have been unable to select the appropriate wording to reflect my feelings. I have, however, decided that some words are better than none.

"Maybe all I need is a million 'thank yous' to the people who take the 999 calls. My family and I cannot ever thank these people, and in fact all of their colleagues, for the amazing work they do."