Wiltshire wife who saved husband's life urges others to know CPR
British Heart Foundation data suggests only 1 in 10 people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
A Wiltshire woman who saved her husbands life with CPR is urging everyone else to make sure they know basic life-saving skills.
Figures from the British Heart Foundation suggest one in 10 people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Mitzy, from North Bradley, near Trowbridge, had to take swift action when her husband, Steve, fell ill in 2021.
She contacted the paramedics on 999, who told her to get Steve flat on the floor and started chest compressions.
"Luckily, I'd had training for it and it just clicked in. There wasn't time to think, it was just automatic," she told Greatest Hits Radio.
The paramedics stayed on the phone, guiding Mitzy through the process, who continued the exhaustive CPR for 20 minutes.
Steve was eventually treated by paramedics who deliver a number of defibrillator shocks, before transferring him to hospital.
He said he's grateful Mitzy knew what to do.
"I've had an extra three years," he said, saying it's given him priceless time with his family.
Steve described the experience as emotional, although he doesn't remember any of it.
He told us it's a massive positive that more people have these skills, but insists that there can never been too many people who know how to save a life.
BHF stats revealed only four in 10 people wouldn't feel confident in giving their partner CPR, but Steve says you can't go wrong.
"Don't be afraid," he said, adding: "When we see it on the telly and how gentle people are doing it, you've got to really go for it.
"Mitzy broke my sternum, that's how you have to do it."
The BHF's online teaching tool RevivR educates us on lifesaving CPR techniques in 15 minutes, using a mobile phone or tablet and a cushion.
Since launching in 2022, the tool has taught a quarter of a million people CPR and how to use a defibrillator.