CPR saved life of Cheshire mum who collapsed on date night

A Cheshire mum who suffered a cardiac arrest whilst out on a date night with her husband is urging people to learn life-saving CPR skills.

Sarah Knight, from Wilmslow, collapsed in February and says the fast actions of complete strangers were the difference between life and death.

Sarah and Patrick were watching the new Avatar film at the cinema in Didsbury when she suddenly fell ill. She says the subsequent actions of her husband, cinema employees, a security guard and junior doctor saved her life; calling an ambulance, performing CPR, using a defibrillator and continuing to provide life saving treatment until ambulances arrived.

She said: “For me, having people around me that night who had been trained in how to do CPR literally saved my life.”

“Having that knowledge and that confidence is so important – it's unlikely that you will ever need to use it, but it would be nice to think that if the moment came you would be up and you would be ready."

Sarah was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary where she was scanned in the acute cardiac centre. She stayed in hospital for several days and was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator a few weeks later, along with surgery to repair one of the valves in her heart.

Now Sarah, who lives in Wilmslow with Patrick and their two children Leo, 3, and 1-year-old Lyra, is encouraging others in her community to learn how to do CPR and pass the skill on to others – creating a ripple effect that she hopes could save more lives in the future.

Sarah’s holding a workshop supported by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to teach 30 people how to do CPR at Handforth Youth Centre on 23rd July. It will be led by her sister, Dr Elizabeth Dapré.

Sarah continued: “I'm hoping to get as many people as possible trained in CPR – and to create a group of people who can act as ‘torch bearers’ in the community, learning the skill and then passing it on to others.”

She's also encouraging people to download the British Heart Foundation’s CPR learning app RevivR - which teaches you how to do CPR in just 15 minutes using only your mobile phone.

BHF Fundraising Manager for Cheshire and Greater Manchester East, Leah Goodhind, said Sarah’s drive to get others trained in CPR was impressive.

“Sarah went through something incredibly traumatic and now wants to do what she can to ensure others get the same chance to survive that she did,” said Leah.

“She’s also encouraging people to download the BHF app RevivR which is a brilliantly quick and simple way to learn CPR and make sure that you have the skills and the confidence to step up in the same way that the strangers did who saved Sarah’s life”.

Sarah’s CPR training event will take place at Handforth Youth Centre, Old Road, Handforth on Sunday 23 July. To find out more and book a place, email Sarah.