Heart attack dad saved by nurses on night out

Chris Baron, 56, was at an 80s-themed Christmas party with his pub pool team at The Sands venue, in Blackpool, when he suddenly began to feel dizzy while dancing with his wife Annette.

As he left the dancefloor, Mr Baron collapsed – and then remembers nothing until he awoke the next morning in Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

Four quick-thinking nurses from the hospital, who were among another group enjoying the Legends show, sprang into action and rushed to Mr Baron’s aid.

They said he did not appear to be breathing and they took turns to perform chest compressions and give him the kiss of life.

A first responder arrived and used a defibrilator to shock him. The nurses - from the hospital’s bowel cancer screening programme - then continued with their efforts until an ambulance arrived.

Mr Baron was taken to A&E, where he was drifting in and out of consciousness and being sick, before being moved to the coronary care unit at around 4am after he was stabilised.

He is now facing a battle back to fitness and is waiting to hear whether he will require surgery.

He credits the nurses - Loise Newton, 45, Marie Young, 29, Charlie Cookson, 30, and Lindsey Siddall, 29 - with saving his life.

“I feel very thankful to be here,” he said, speaking from his hospital bed.

“Without a doubt, I would have been a goner were it not for these four ladies.”

Annette, 50, who was joined at A&E by the couple’s sons Gavin, Alex and Matthew, said: “I totally freaked out when he collapsed.

“I was at his head at one stage saying ‘don’t you leave me’.

“We are so grateful for what these nurses did.”

Lindsey, 29, said: “The singer had asked the different tables to introduce themselves so people knew we were nurses.

“I remember someone coming over to our table and saying a man had collapsed. There was a lady giving him chest compressions so I offered to take over and then the others came over. We must have been doing it for 15 minutes.”

Louise, 45, added: “He was not breathing initially and we couldn’t feel a pulse.

“The first responder put a tube down Chris’ throat to help clear his airways and he spat it out - that was a good sign and we felt relieved.

“The kind of training we have is so important and it’s refreshed every year, but I think anyone else would have done the same.

“We’re proud of how we reacted and when we came in to see Chris on Monday we were amazed at how well he looked.”

Chris, from Hindley near Wigan, is now awaiting the results of a angiogram test which will determine whether he needs a bypass or stents inserted.

He had been on beta-blockers for a heart flutter for two years, but said his condition had not been expected to spark a heart attack.

Although he does not smoke, and gave up drinking 20 mmonths ago, his family has a history of heart disease and both his dad and brother have had bypasses, while his sister had stents inserted.

“I’ve been trained to do chest compressions myself since I was 17 and although I’ve not had to use it this has brought it home to me how important it is,” added Chris, a production operative with waterproofing specialist Tremco.

“I’m eternally grateful to these nurses and always will be.”