A Hampshire man who suffered a cardiac arrest at home has been reunited with some of the members of the South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) team who helped save his life.
Tony Drake, from Alton, visited SCAS’ Alton Resource Centre on 28 May 2026 with his wife Elaine and daughter Hatty, to personally thank some of the ambulance staff involved in his care after he suffered a cardiac arrest on 13 December 2025.
Tony was sitting in his living room with Elaine, and Hatty who had popped in for a chat, when he suddenly stopped talking mid-sentence and collapsed.
Hatty immediately called 999, and then began chest compressions under the guidance of emergency call taker, Kirsty Nolan.
As Kirsty talked Hatty through how to carry out effective CPR, she also asked whether there was a defibrillator nearby. Fortunately, Elaine knew a neighbour had one and rushed to ask for help. Although the neighbours were out, their 15-year-old son, Jack, answered the door, retrieved the defibrillator and returned with Elaine. Jack then took over CPR from Hatty, who was by then exhausted, until the emergency crews arrived, and his family’s defibrillator delivered four shocks in total on Tony.
The first responders on scene were a Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service crew, followed closely by two SCAS ambulance crews and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance critical care car. The team took over Tony’s care and managed to restart his heart, and get him fully conscious, breathing and stabilised before being blue-lighted to North Hampshire Hospital in Basingstoke.
During their visit to Alton Resource Centre, Tony and his family met Sarah Weldon, a paramedic who was part of the first ambulance crew on scene; Isobelle Prince, a paramedic from the second ambulance crew, and Imogen Cooper, an emergency despatcher who was part of the team co-ordinating the emergency response from the emergency operations control room at SCAS’ base in Otterbourne.
Tony has fortunately gone on to make a full recovery and despite extensive hospital investigations, no medical cause was identified for his cardiac arrest. He has, since the incident, been fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and pacemaker.
Reflecting on the events of the day, Hatty wanted to pay particular tribute to emergency call taker, Kirsty, saying: “She kept me calm, talked me through exactly what I needed to do and did an amazing job. It was as if she was there by my side helping me, help Dad.”
Elaine added: “We are so grateful to everyone who helped Tony. From the moment we dialled 999 through to his treatment in hospital and being discharged home, everyone was absolutely brilliant. We can’t thank them enough.”
Tony said: “I am truly grateful to everyone who played a part in saving my life. Without their quick actions and professionalism, I simply wouldn’t be here today.”
Following the reunion, Tony made a generous donation to the South Central Ambulance Charity as an additional way of thanking the service and staff who helped save his life.
The meeting highlighted the importance of early CPR, rapid access to a defibrillator and the coordinated response of emergency services, all of which played a vital role in giving Tony the best possible chance of survival.
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Photo: L-to-R Sarah Weldon, Isobelle Prince, Elaine Drake, Tony Drake, Hatty Stallard, Imogen Cooper