I was 16 when I collapsed playing in front of a crowd including my mum

It started like any normal day for teenager Sam Booth. The then 16-year-old felt well on the way to play a game in Liverpool. On court, Sam, who has previously represented Wales in the sport, had just been substituted out of the game. To his team mate's horror he suddenly became unresponsive.

He was having a cardiac arrest and as the gravity of the situation became clear they swung into action. It was Sam's mum Sarah's birthday, and she was in the stands watching when the nightmare unfolded.

Thanks to the quick actions of teammates, coaches, and the presence of a defibrillator on court, Sam survived.

Just over a year later, after a month in hospital and initial fears that he would need a heart transplant, the teenager is back at school in Holyhead and back playing the game he loves.

He says his brush with death has changed his outlook on life and he now wants to seize every opportunity.

"I can't remember anything from the day. Just what I was told later. The day started like normal and I was fine," recalls Sam, from Llanberis. "It was a very intense game but I hadn't felt unwell at all before, or during, the game. I felt fine the whole time. I had never had a moment where I felt unwell."

When Sam went into cardiac arrest CPR was started and a defibrillator used before paramedics arrived. Heis all too aware that that kit and knowledge is not always available and his outlook could have been far worse.

Rushed to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, the teenager was placed in intensive care, and later transferred to Wythenshawe Hospital for further treatment.

At one point doctors feared he would need a heart transplant. CPR had fractured a rib, which punctured a lung, causing further complications.

After extensive tests, the cause of his cardiac carrest was identified: a congenital heart defect known as an anomalous coronary artery, where the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart muscles started in the wrong spot.

Surgeons performed open-heart surgery to "unroof" the artery, restoring normal blood flow to Sam's heart.

When he first woke in hospital days after his cardiac arrest Sam thought at first he was there because of a badly twisted ankle. He had no idea of what he had been through.

"When I heard what happened from my parents' perspective I felt bad for them going through that," he says. "For me I can't remember any of it. I heard my heart was struggling so much my kidneys started shutting down. I thought "oh my".

"I think people expect me to be scared to talk about it. But I can't remember it, so I am quite open and I like talking about it - I am living."

Sam is close to his brother, Jack, 21, his mum Sarah, who works for Bangor University and retired dad Neil and says they've been key to his recovery.

His ambition now is to "live a life full of love", play basketball, travel and encourage more people to learn life saving skills and CPR.

A year after his cardiac arrest Sam is back playing for Caernarfon U18s and Cheshire Phoenix U18s again.

His first question when he woke in hospital was whether he could play basketball again. He has since returned to the court, under strict medical guidance.

“I was nervous, but it felt amazing to be back,” Sam, now 17 said. "I am confident playing basketball. It's a sport I love. You have to play and not worry "what if?".

A heart tracker connected to Sam's phone and monitors his heart rate and before games he follows a plan to keep well hydrated.

The teenager always takes a defibrillator with him to games and training, takes medication and has regular heart and sports heart check ups with his cardiologist.

Now he's keen to spread the word about CPR and being aware of knowing what do in the event of a crisis. Sam wants something positive to come out of his experience for others too.

He is supporting a British Heart Foundation Cymru initiative to provide free digital CPR training for school pupils in Wales.

When he became unresponsive he says CPR was started immediately, and a defibrillator used before paramedics arrived, only because that was available.

He now knows how lucky he is. Survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Wales are just one in 20, the British Heart Foundation says.

“People don’t realise how rare it is to come through like I did, that’s why CPR training is so important. People think cardiac arrest only happens to older people, but it can happen to anyone. If it’s your best mate or family member, you need to know what to do."

As well as encouraging more people to learn CPR Sam says he now appreciates the small and large things in life.

"My experience has changed my outlook 100%. When I was first allowed outside from hospital I sat outside on a bench with my dad and it was so nice just to be outside.

"My outlook on life is to take every opportunity and live your life. You can't be scared of coming out of your confidence zone. Life is so valuable.

"For me I would like to travel the world and visit as many countries as possible and spend as much time as possible with family."

Back at Holyhead High where he's studying a Level 4 Btec in sport and sport development Sam has been helping raise awareness of CPR.

Sam was there as BHF Cymru recently launched Classroom RevivR – a new, free, online tool to teach CPR available to schools in Wales.

Classroom RevivR teaches lifesaving skills to students aged 11 to 16 in one lesson plan in Welsh or English.

The programme teaches the difference between cardiac arrest and heart attack, how to respond to an unconscious person and make an emergency call, how to use a defibrillator and how to perform CPR safely.

More than 120 schools in Wales have already registered for Classroom RevivR and BHF Cymru, and Sam, hope more will sign up.

While coronary heart disease is in the top two leading causes of death in Wales, almost one in four people don't know how to perform CPR.

Sam hopes sharing his story will raise awareness and encourage more people to train.

“I sometimes see it as a pain that it happened to me,” he says about his cardiac arrest, “but I’m glad it has raised so much awareness. If my story helps save even one life, it’s worth it.”

Since Sam's experience Basketball Wales also has a new strategy including heart screening for players and CPR training for coaches