Teammates hailed after saving footballer's life

An amateur footballer from Kent says he owes his life to teammates who saved him after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a derby match.

Kevin Smith, a right winger for Ditton FC Super Vets, was playing at Chatham Town FC on 6 March when his heart suddenly stopped beating.

His teammates performed CPR on him and used a defibrillator to save his life.

"We were about 10 minutes into the match and I was told a ball was passed down the wing and I went for it," the 57-year-old from Paddock Wood recalled.

But he said that was when he collapsed.

"One of my teammates sprinted up to me and realised I had no pulse and I had started to go blue," he said.

"The first thing I remembered when I came round was being sick on the person who had been giving me CPR.

"It was an extraordinary act of selflessness, it was something I would never forget."

Smith said doctors carried out an angiogram and discovered that several of his arteries were blocked.

"It was hard for me to come to terms with this, being a non-smoker and non-drinker," he added.

He underwent a quadruple bypass, completed cardiac rehabilitation and has returned to work.

Andy Peel, manager of Ditton FC, said when Smith collapsed there was "utter panic".

He said his only thought was not wanting to let Smith die.

"People were running around doing 999 calls," he added.

"One of our players, James, who is a nurse, removed Kevin's shirt and made sure the defibrillator was fitted correctly.

"We had to perform three rounds of chest compressions before the paramedics arrived."

Peel said he was "incredibly proud" of Smith and the team for stepping up when it mattered most.

"It was traumatic, but it brought us closer together as a team," he added.

Regina Giblin, senior cardiac nurse at British Heart Foundation (BHF), said knowing the signs of a cardiac arrest "was vital" and that the charity was working with Sky Bet "to give football fans the confidence to perform CPR and use a defibrillator".

"The message is simple. Call 999, start CPR and use a defibrillator," she said.

Giblin said people could access the RevivR Tool on the BHF website to learn CPR.

Research from BHF and Sky Bet found that 69% of football fans have fears around using a defibrillator.

As part of World Heart Day on Tuesday, Smith wanted to encourage people to learn CPR and use a defibrillator.

"Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone and anywhere," he said. "You can help save lives."

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