ENGLAND football legend Glenn Hoddle has launched a campaign to teach more than a quarter of a million of us about life-saving CPR, inspired by his brush with death.
The former Spurs star and England manager said quick action gave him the “gift of life” when he collapsed due to cardiac arrest while filming for BT Sport in 2018.
two
He became one of the 80 people every day – 30,000 a year – who need CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) outside of hospital in the UK.
This week, The Sun joined Glenn, 66, in the Wembley Stadium stands as he lined up to launch the Every Minute Matters campaign with the British Heart Foundation and Sky Bet’s “Re-starting 11”.
The team is full of players who have learned firsthand the dangers of heart problems, including Fabrice Muamba, David Ginola, Tom Lockyer and Megan Tinsley.
They want 270 thousand fans in next year to learn CPR – enough to fill the stadium three times.
Saved by friend trained in CPR
Speaking to The Sun, Glenn said: “You don’t know when a cardiac arrest is going to happen. It can be anywhere – in a football stadium, in a shopping center or on vacation.
“I’m a living example of how we can save people’s lives.”
The footballer-turned-commentator was rescued by CPR-trained friend Simon Daniels, 53, who was a sound engineer at the time and jumped in to help Glenn as he collapsed on the studio floor.
He broke seven of my ribs, but the hospital nurse said that’s a sign of good CPR.
Glenn added: “It happened on my birthday.
“When I look back, I think about the gift Simon gave me. He gave me the gift of life.
“I was lucky he was there.
“He broke seven of my ribs, but the hospital nurse said that’s a sign of good CPR.
“I learned CPR right after my rehabilitation, which was quite difficult.
“Our whole family did it together – about 15 of us – and it was a good way to learn.”
Lifeguard Simon added: “I knew CPR had to be done quickly because for every minute you don’t do it, the chance of survival drops by ten per cent.
“It’s good to see Glenn doing so well, and now he can spend more time with his grandchildren and his family. We will be friends for the rest of our lives.”
The British Heart Foundation’s RevivR web app teaches you the basics of CPR in just 15 minutes.
Using just a smartphone and a pillow to practice compressions, the website bhf.org.uk/revivr Guides you and checks your technique using your phone’s camera.
It also teaches how to recognize if someone is having a cardiac arrest and how to give them the best chance of survival.
Cardiac arrests happen when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body.
Only one in ten victims survives, but experts say the rate could improve if more of us knew about CPR. The BHF estimates that 23 million people in the UK have never practiced it.
Sky Bet has joined forces with the BHF for the campaign and has pledged to donate up to £3 million to Britain’s biggest charity.
It will start at £10,000 for every goal in the EFL playoffs this month.
Football has raised the profile of heart problems due to a series of high-profile collapses.
Former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba received CPR on the pitch after collapsing during an FA Cup match against Tottenham in 2012, aged 23 – and his heart stopped for an astonishing 78 minutes.
Luton Town and Wales player Tom Lockyer, 29, went into cardiac arrest on the pitch last December.
Resurrected on the field
Both joined Glenn on the BHF campaign, along with French star David Ginola, 57, whose heart stopped during a charity match in 2016.
The same happened to Megan Tinsley, a Derby County defender who plays with a pulse monitor implanted under her skin so doctors can monitor her heart condition.
Man United and Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen is one of the few players to return to top-flight football following cardiac arrest, having been resuscitated on the pitch during Euro 2020.
The public can make a big difference, because medical teams often don’t arrive on time.
Professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the BHF, said: “The potential tragedies we have seen with elite athletes collapsing really send the message that this can happen to anyone.
“The public can make a big difference because medical teams often don’t arrive on time.”
Megan, 26, had surgery to repair a hole in her heart when she was just five, but has suffered chest pain in recent years and has had a mini heart attack on her to sleep.
Urging fans to master CPR, The Ewe Rams left-back said: “Taking 15 minutes out of your day isn’t much – grab a cushion from the sofa and learn.”
Fabrice, 36, retired from professional football after the incident but now lives a normal life.
He said: “I was lucky to have had the best medical care that day. It’s important not to stand still.
“Get involved and help – you will make a huge difference.”
HOW TO DO CPR
If someone is unconscious, not breathing, and has a weak or absent pulse, call an ambulance and ask a bystander to find a defibrillator, then begin CPR
1. Lay the person on their back on the floor and remove anything behind their head.
two. Kneel down beside them. Place one hand flat in the middle of your chest and the other on top of it, interlacing your fingers.
3. Lean into your chest and keep your arms straight to push straight down with your body weight.
4. Push hard on your chest about twice a second (to the beat of the Bee Gees’ song Stayin’ Alive), keeping your arms straight and trying to crush it 2 to 2 inches each time.
5. Continue until paramedics arrive.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
