Borrowash grandma saved by partygoer after having a cardiac arrest at New Year's party

A Derbyshire grandmother's heart stopped beating in front of her family and friends just 11 minutes into the new year. On January 1, 2023, Frances Williamson, from Borrowash, was at a New Year party enjoying bringing in the new year with those closest to her.

Just minutes into 2023 Frances collapsed onto the kitchen floor in front of startled partygoers. She had not experienced any warning signs of what was about to happen.

Frances said: "I was having a lovely time at the party and didn’t experience any chest pain or any of the other symptoms which could have suggested something was about to go seriously wrong.” Luckily for Frances, one of the people at the event happened to be an off-duty Clinical Assessment Team (CAT) paramedic, Vicky Gough.

Vicky said: “I heard someone from the kitchen shout ‘Vicky, Fran’s collapsed. I instantly switched back to clinician mode and started my assessments on Frances, while someone else called 999.

“She was initially breathing but was unconscious, so I put her into the recovery position. But then her body then began to shake, and she started to audibly gag. Soon afterwards, Frances stopped breathing and I couldn’t feel a pulse – she had gone into cardiac arrest.”

Vicky and Frances’s daughter-in-law, Kate, began CPR and Vicky also performed checks on Frances’ airway to ensure it was clear of any obstruction. A second 999 call was also made to alert the control room to the worsening situation, and it was clear that Frances’ life was at immediate risk and she needed an ambulance as soon as possible.

An open-mic request was broadcast to all nearby ambulance clinicians in the area and was responded to by Specialist Practitioner and Cardiac Arrest Lead, Kerri Lowe, who abandoned her meal break in order to attend. Kerri, who arrived on the scene within a matter of minutes, said: “I arrived with the defibrillator and thanks to the effective CPR being carried out by Vicky and Kate, we identified that Frances’s heart was in a shockable rhythm.

“We managed to get her heart beating again after delivering one shock and there’s no doubt that the immediate life support provided by Vicky and Kate led to such a positive outcome.”

Frances had what is known as an ‘utstien cardiac arrest’ – meaning the arrest was witnessed and immediate CPR, along with a VF shock from a defibrillator, were given to regain a heart rhythm. Receiving CPR within the first three to four minutes of a cardiac arrest is crucial in terms of maximising the chances of survival.

Frances is now on the road to recovery and has lots of plans for her future. Frances added: “I’m so grateful to everyone who worked together to save my life.

“I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the teamwork of Vicky and the ambulance crew. I’m especially amazed by the actions of my daughter-in-law Kate, who hadn’t performed CPR until that day. A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone which is why CPR education is so important.”