Patient to see son grow up thanks to team that saved his life
A heart attack patient now hopes to see his six-year-old son grow up after a hospital team saved his life.
Kevin McKee, 38, from Canvey Island, suffered a heart attack in August last year, complicated by a prolonged cardiac arrest. Now he has been back to the hospital to thank the team that saved him.
Kevin, a construction worker, said: “Teddy, my six-year-old son, is truly my life and soul. I am now someone that cherishes every day I wake up, and I’m so grateful that everyone gave their all to save my life.”
Thanks to the hard work of paramedics, the air ambulance and the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre team at Basildon Hospital, he was kept alive with external chest compressions from a machine for over two hours.
Dr Reto Gamma, consultant interventional cardiologist, said: “Kevin’s case shows how early chest compressions, early defibrillation and fitting stents in patients with acutely blocked blood vessels, can make a real positive difference in their outcome. The machine we used helped us to save his life.”
Kevin, who spent three weeks in Basildon Hospital recovering from his heart attack, said: “At one point my mum was being told I might only have an hour left, so I owe my second chance at life to the team. I am forever thankful for their expertise and dedication to their job; they really are forever my NHS heroes.”