Former nurse uses first aid training to save best friend after collapse
A former nurse from Bristol used the first aid training she received years ago to save the life of her best friend after he collapsed in the street.
Mother-of-one Jane Williams, 40, was walking in the town centre of Nailsea when she spotted a crowd gathered around a man who had collapsed at a bus stop. Running over to offer her assistance and experience as a former nurse, Ms Williams quickly realised that the man on the ground was her best friend Neil Day.
Mr Day, 48, was not conscious and not breathing, as well as being worryingly pale. It was later found that he had suffered a very serious seizure, causing him to bleed from his mouth and nose.
Although distressed about her friend, Ms Williams acted quickly to clear the crowd, loosen her friend’s clothing and administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). She had learned how to do this on a first aid training course years ago, and was able to stay calm during the emergency due to her experience as a nurse.
Mr Day began breathing again within around 10 minutes of Ms Williams starting to resuscitate him. He was taken to a hospital in Bristol to recover. Ms Williams described the moment she saved her friend, saying:
“He started breathing very shallowly and I carried on with the CPR until the paramedics arrived.
“They said had I not given him CPR, he may not have made it.”