A FOUR-year-old golden retriever from Ballinamallard was honoured at the prestigious Heart Hero awards ceremony in London last night.
Polly the dog and owner Hannah received a CPR hero award for helping to save the life of Hannah’s husband Adam, when he had a cardiac arrest in March 2024.
Adam, 39, a draughtsman for a steel company and keen runner, described that ‘normal’ Monday in March when he went to work and when he came home, went for his usual evening run.
The family then went to bed at around 9.30pm.
“The next thing I remember was six days later, waking up in the cardiac ward in hospital,” Adam said.
Hannah, 33, was wakened at around 12.45am by Polly’s barking, which was unusual during the night, so she checked the time on her phone.
“She’s very in tune with Adam, and when she barks I usually turn to Adam to tell him. That’s when I suddenly realised he was breathing very noisily,” Hannah said.
“When I heard the noise Adam was making I sat bolt upright in bed as I previously worked as a carer and it hit me that it was the same noise I’ve heard when people are taking their final breaths.”
Life saving
Hannah rang the emergency services and they advised her to pull Adam off the bed and onto the floor immediately and start CPR.
Hannah continued, “When I was giving Adam CPR, I could tell his whole body was fighting to come back. Sometimes he would open his eyes and I was shouting, this isn’t your time to go. I knew he was meant to stay alive, it was fate.”
After around seven minutes, the ambulance, community responder and two paramedics all arrived.
“The paramedics continued CPR and used a defibrillator to shock Adam back to life,” she continued.
“My memory was they kept saying he was back and then they lost him again.”
Adam was rushed to the SWAH and Hannah credits Polly for saving his life.
“Polly alerted me, possibly within seconds of Adam’s cardiac arrest, she was the first responder,” she added.
Adam was in hospital for three and a half weeks and has had a device fitted to help his heart.
Hannah and Adam have said the experience has given them “a new perspective” and a “second chance of life” and are delighted to be welcoming their second child next year.
