'I am proof that CPR saves lives!'

Diarmuid O'Connell was a 24 year old teacher from Cork, but unlike most other men of his age, Diarmuid nearly lost his life in February 2009 when his heart stopped beating! The incident happened when he collapsed to the ground with sudden cardiac arrest during a game of football.

Fortunately, for the wing forward, a fellow teacher and teammate Gerard O'Leary, 28, realised the serious nature of Diarmuid's collapse and immediately started performing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

Gerard was trained by the Irish Heart Foundation as part of a CPR pilot programme in secondary schools and wasted no time stepping in to save his friend. He said 'it was about 10 minutes into the second half when I saw Diarmuid lying on the ground. At first I thought he was winded and I ran over to see if he was okay. As soon as I reached him I could hear that he was struggling to breathe and I knew it was serious.

'I started giving CPR and someone ran off for a defibrillator. When the defib arrived I gave Diarmuid a shock and continued to do CPR compressions on his chest. I had to keep doing CPR for about 15 minutes until the ambulance came. I should have been tired but the adrenalin was pumping. I'm just glad he's alive.'

Meanwhile Diarmuid was unconscious, has very little recollection of what happened. He said 'I don't remember much about it. One minute I was playing football and the next I was waking up in hospital. But one thing I am sure of is that I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for CPR. I am living proof that CPR saves lives.'

Since his collapse both Diarmuid and Gerard act as ambassadors for the Irish Heart Foundation and for CPR, paying visits to schools to spread the importance of these life saving skills.

If you have any heart related stories that you would like to share, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Ciara on 668 5001 or email cmealy@irishheart.ie