London Ambulance Service paramedic, Stefan Soler, was returning home from a match on December 19 when he heard frantic calls for help on his train.
He found Keith Calnon, 68, from Rochester, Kent, slumped on a seat. With the assistance of an off-duty police officer, Mr Soler laid Mr Calnon on the floor and assessed him.
Mr Calnon was in cardiac arrest, so Mr Soler immediately began performing CPR and issued instructions to other passengers.
He asked for an ambulance to be called, for someone to inform platform staff to stop the train, and for someone to fetch the station’s defibrillator.
Two shocks were administered to Mr Calnon before he regained consciousness, although he was agitated and confused.
Other clinicians from the London Ambulance Service arrived at Tottenham Hale station within minutes.
Mr Soler said: “It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment, especially given it led to such a good outcome for Keith and his family, and happened at that time of year when we are all coming together with our loved ones.”
The day’s events reminded Mr Soler of when he witnessed his grandfather having a heart attack, an event that inspired him to become a paramedic.
He said: “I found my grandpa and called for help. The ambulance crew revived him and he lived for another 20 years or so.
“In that moment I remember feeling it was amazing how they had come and saved him – and I thought maybe one day I would like to do that.
“That is why I chose to pursue this career.
“So now it really is amazing to have this full circle moment – I get to be that clinician for someone else. It is a very emotional experience.”
Mr Calnon’s daughters, Amy and Kathryn, met Mr Soler and incident response officer Peter Fisher at the London Ambulance Service headquarters in Waterloo.
Mr Calnon was unable to join them as he is still recovering from heart surgery.
Amy said: “It is crazy to think how differently it might have ended.
“We’re so grateful to Stefan, the off-duty police officer, two off-duty nurses and the other emergency responders who all helped save our dad’s life.”
The sisters emphasised the importance of learning CPR.
Kathryn added: “Dad is an optimist but we can tell he realises how incredibly lucky he is to be here now and we cannot thank Stefan and the others enough for helping to save his life.
“It also makes us realise how important it is for everyone to know how to do CPR – even my daughters have been speaking about how to ‘pump, pump, pump’ a heart.
“They are too young to know how to do it properly but it shows how important it is.”
Peter Fisher said: “As clinicians we talk about the chain of survival – early recognition, early CPR, early defibrillator usage and early advanced care.
“In Keith’s case the stars really aligned and it proves how successful an outcome can be when CPR is started within seconds of cardiac arrest.”
The meeting between Amy, Kathryn, and Mr Soler was arranged after a post was shared on the Tottenham Hotspur Facebook page.
Hundreds of fans shared the post, and it was eventually seen by Mr Fisher, who then asked Mr Soler if he would be happy to meet with them.
All fans of the football club, they said they were touched by the kindness and compassion shown by the fans on that train and since.
Pauline Cranmer, chief paramedic at London Ambulance Service, added: “This amazing display of expertise and skill under trying circumstances shows how our paramedics are never really off-duty.
“Paramedics like Stefan join the Service because they have a drive to save lives – and that is not always confined to the times they are working.
“This positive outcome also shows how important it is to equip yourself with the life-saving skill of CPR.
“Early intervention can more than double someone’s chances of survival and both of these can be done by a member of the public before the ambulance service arrives.
“All you need to do is simply complete the online training on a smartphone or laptop and then you’re ready to help rescue someone in a life-threatening emergency.”
