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A gym The manager who survived a heart failure He has formed an extraordinary bond with one of his members after saving his life from the same situation during spin class.
Andy Palmer, 35, from nuneaton, warwickshireExperienced cardiac arrest during shift in January 2024 puregymresult of inheritance heart condition,
After having a pacemaker fitted and returning to work, Mr Palmer was leading an early-morning spin class in July when Andrew Ward, 49, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, suddenly fell from his bike.
Rushing to his aid, Mr Palmer immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation as Mr Ward’s face turned gray and his lips turned blue – symptoms similar to those witnesses had seen during his own cardiac arrest.
He immediately started administration cprFortunately, there were “a lot of good forces pulling for Andrew” that day, including an off-duty nurse and a police officer trained in CPR, both present at the gym, to assist Mr Ward before he was taken to hospital.
Their subsequent reunion at the gym was described as “emotional”, with the pair having bonded deeply due to their shared tribulations, now referring to themselves as “cardiac arrest buddies”.
Both Andy and Andrew are now determined to raise awareness of the importance of CPR training, which saved his life, and they want to highlight the British Heart Foundation (BHF) ReviviR tool – which teaches CPR in just 15 minutes from a phone or laptop.
Andrew, a national sales manager, told PA Real Life: “When I saw Andy for the first time I gave him a big hug, but it’s very strange – how do you actually thank the person who saved your life?
“Literally my life was in his hands and because of what he did, I stand in front of him now.
“Just looking into his eyes meant the world.”
Andy said: “Life is fragile and can be taken away at any time – try your best to enjoy it while you can.”
According to the BHF, more than 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur each year in the UK, and with timely CPR and defibrillation the chances of survival more than double.
Andy has inherited a heart condition, which he was diagnosed with before his cardiac arrest.
The condition, caused by a mutated gene, results from “deficiency and improper formation of electrical signaling and muscle around the heart,” Andy said.
In November 2023, he received an echocardiogram, a scan to look at the heart and surrounding blood vessels, and the results indicated that he may need a pacemaker.
While waiting for an MRI scan to confirm this, he experienced cardiac arrest on 29 January 2024 at PureGym in Nuneaton, where he was working as an assistant gym manager at the time.
That morning, Andy completed a workout at the gym before returning at 12 noon for his afternoon shift.
“I was feeling absolutely fine, there were no warning signs and I had no idea it was coming,” Andy said.
“About 20 minutes into my shift, I had a cardiac arrest.
“I have almost completely lost my memory of that day.”
Andy’s colleagues were able to begin giving CPR before he was taken to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire.
After cardiac arrest, Andy was fitted with a pacemaker on 13 February 2024.
Andy was teaching an early morning spin class on July 7 this year at PureGym in Tamworth, where he now works as gym manager.
Andrew, an avid gym-goer, said the 6.30am spin class is “a fairly regular thing” for him, but he “doesn’t remember anything” from that particular day.
“I got halfway through class and my heart stopped,” Andrew said.
Andy said he suddenly heard a “bang” and saw Andrew fall off his bike.
“Other people jumped off their bikes to help and we called 999,” Andy recalled.
“An off-duty police officer who was in the classroom was able to speak with them quickly and I cushioned Andrew’s head while he was having convulsions – but when they stopped, he stopped breathing.”
Andy said the “penny dropped” when he saw Andrew’s complexion, where “his face was brown and his lips were blue”.
“Witnesses to my cardiac arrest later told me that my face had turned brown, my lips were blue – and I knew it was serious,” Andy said.
“I went into fight or flight mode as soon as the adrenaline kicked in.”
After receiving CPR training through PureGym and recently completing BHF’s RevivR course for a refresher, Andy began CPR on Andrew.
BHF’s official gym partner PureGym has installed on-site defibrillators in all its UK branches, along with detailed instructions to enable members of the public to use them.
However, on this day, an off-duty nurse, who was exercising at the gym at the time, came to assist and began using the device on Andrew.
“Andrew had a lot of good vibes that day,” Andy said.
Two ambulances, as well as an air ambulance and police were called to the gym.
When Andrew was taken to the Royal Derby Hospital in an ambulance, Andy said, “I felt numb and a bit in shock.”
There, Andrew received an angiogram, a type of test used to check blood flow in the heart muscle, which revealed two blockages in his arteries.
He had three stents placed, two in one artery.
Andrew said he was informed that his condition may be hereditary, as some of his close family members suffer from heart disease.
Andrew said, “It came as a shock because there were no real warning signs, I was just going on with my day until I did.”
Once Andrew was stabilized, his wife, Jody, 41, uploaded a post to a local Facebook group informing those involved that he was doing well.
Andy said he felt “pure joy” after seeing the post.
“It felt like the best news I’d received in a long time,” he said.
“It’s a relief to know that we gave him a fighting chance until the professionals can take a look at him.”
Both men said that seeing each other for the first time in the gym was an “emotional” experience.
“We spent a lot of time talking about our traumas and our experiences,” Andy said.
Andrew said: “I can’t really put into words how it feels, it’s really wild.
“Now we laugh and joke about it – one thing we say is that we’re cardiac arrest buddies.”
Andy and Andrew feel that their experiences surviving cardiac arrest have changed their outlook on life.
“It makes you realize how precious life is and how short it can be,” Andrew said.
“I just recognize that everything from here on out is on borrowed time so I don’t want to put anything off.”
Andy said: “You have to enjoy whatever time you have as best you can.”
Both are now determined to raise awareness of CPR training, and highlighted the importance of using BHF’s ReviveR tool.
The free online training tool teaches CPR in 15 minutes, and users need a digital device, such as a phone, and a cushion to practice.
Users also receive a CPR certificate upon completion.
“Knowing that CPR is so important, it’s better to have the training and not need it,” Andy said.
Andrew said: “Learn CPR, know where the defibrillator machines are in public, learn how to use them – this result can change someone’s life.”
To find out more about BHF’s CPR tool, RevivR, visit: bhf.org.uk/revivR