Former police detective from the Peterborough area thanks ambulance crews for saving his life

Tony Wright, from Chatteris, complained of feeling unwell for several days before Sunday 30 October last year, which he initially put down to a possible chest infection.

A spokesperson for the East of England Ambulance Service EEAST) explained: “That evening, he felt a severe pain in his chest and alerted his wife Wendy, who immediately called 999. Ambulance crew Kelly Thompson and Zoe Dalby were dispatched to Tony’s address.”

While the paramedics were helping Tony, he went into cardiac arrest. The crew began CPR and used a defibrillator to shock his heart.

Tony said: “One of the crew told me I was having a heart attack. It was scary, but it was good to know what was happening.

"She gave me two tablets and, as I was taking them, I felt my head go back - and that was it. I was gone for two minutes. When I came to, one of my sons had arrived and he was saying, ‘come back Dad’.”

An additional ambulance crewed by Chloe Taylor and Paul Barnett arrived shortly after, and Dan Read, a critical care paramedic from MAGPAS also came to Tony’s aid. Together they helped to stabilise Tony and he was transported to the Royal Papworth Hospital, where a stent was fitted.

The EEAST spokesperson added: “After making a full recovery, Tony recently visited Huntingdon ambulance station to thank both the ambulance crew and the MAGPAS team involved in his care that night.”

A former fire fighter and police detective for 35 years, Tony is familiar with emergency services. However, he says this experience has certainly given him a new perspective on the life-saving work they do.

“I thought my number was up that night, I really did,” he admits, “but these people saved my life. It’s as simple as that.”