Watch as woman reunited with emergency responder who had heart attack in her living room - while treating her for cardiac arrest at her Bedford home

A woman has been reunited with the emergency responder who collapsed from a heart attack in her living room - while treating her for a cardiac arrest.

Daisy Devane, 31, collapsed on the sofa at home and her husband, Eammon, 33, performed CPR before the ambulance crews turned up.

But one of those responders – senior emergency medical technician Jeremy Williams, 55 – was timing the chest compressions when he felt an instant pain in his chest.

The medical team split in two - half working on Daisy and the other half trying to save their colleague. He was whisked away and taken to Lister Hospital, Stevenage, and treated for a heart attack, while Daisy was taken to Bedford Hospital.

Although Daisy doesn't remember the incident, as she lost three weeks' worth of memory, she is so "grateful" to Jeremy and the other responders. She was reunited with him over a year on and says she wished she had done it sooner.

Daisy, an area safety manager and first aid trainer, from Stewartby, said: "You can't make it up. I heard about Jeremy after. I'm so grateful to him and grateful he was OK. He saved my life. They are so incredible."

Daisy was working from home when she suddenly collapsed on June 22, 2022.

She said: "Eammon came down and found me on the sofa unresponsive and not breathing. He lifted me onto the floor and dialled 999. He did chest compressions for 12 minutes before paramedics arrived.

"They were working on me for 50 minutes. I had five shocks before they were able to successfully resuscitate me."

Eammon, a store manager, said: "I could hear strange noises. It was Daisy gasping for air. I was full of adrenaline - it was all a bit of a whirlwind."

Jeremy was part of the East of England Ambulance crew which turned up and began working on Daisy.

Jeremy said: "I was controlling the machine that controls the shock. I was doing the timing and every two minutes doing a rhythm check. I was on the scene for 10 minutes when I suddenly didn't feel well. My pain score went from zero to four in an instant. I thought 'I need to get out'."

Colleagues did an ECG and realised Jeremy was having a major heart attack and took him to Lister Hospital. He was fitted with two stents and came home two days later to the news Daisy had also survived.

Daisy was fitted with a S-ICD (subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator) - which shocks her heart if it happens again.

Now the pair have reunited in an emotional meeting.

Daisy: "It was wonderful, it is something that I wish I had done such a long time ago. We met in February 2023, but it was only briefly while I was being admitted to hospital. It was nice to sit down and talk to him again, we share this massive life event. I feel like we will be a big part of each other's lives now - it was lovely to sit down and speak to him today."

Daisy is also very thankful her partner knew CPR - and the pair tied the knot in an emotional ceremony in July 2023.

She said: "I'll never repay him. He's modest about it. He won't be told he's a hero but he is a hero."

Eammon added: "I felt very lucky to have done the first aid course."

Daisy said: "[CPR] It's a skill everybody should know. It's a skill you never want to have to use but if you do you're so grateful to have it."

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation, said: “A cardiac arrest can affect anyone at any time, and you’re most likely to need to give CPR to a loved one. That’s why we need everyone to learn CPR, and you can do that right now with RevivR - a free, simple tool that gives you the skills to help save a life, a loved one in just 15 minutes.

“With around twice as many people in the UK living with heart and circulatory diseases than with Alzheimer’s and cancer combined, we urgently need to fund more lifesaving research to fight heart conditions like cardiac arrest that devastate so many people and loved ones. Join all those Going Red and fundraising for the BHF this Heart Month to fund the breakthroughs of tomorrow and keep families together for longer.”