Birmingham City fan reunited with lifesavers after suffering cardiac arrest in Crawley
A Birmingham City fan who suffered a cardiac arrest, before a match against Crawley Town, has reunited with the people who helped save his life.
Steve Poulter, 67, suddenly collapsed and stopped breathing while attending Birmingham's away fixture at Broadfield Stadium on Monday, December 23, 2024.
The match kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes, following the medical emergency in the crowd.
Thanks to the swift actions of those around him, including the event medical team from Revive Medical Solutions and South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb), Steve was resuscitated and taken to hospital.
He was later taken to Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, where he spent 19 days recovering.
More than 18 months later, Steve was able to meet some of the people involved in saving his life, including SECAmb clinicians Laini Marshall, Matthew Dale, Daisy Burrows and Jack Nelson, as well as Revive Medical Solutions staff Cerys Davies, Gary Spray and Kayne Loft.
The reunion gave Steve and his family the opportunity to personally thank those whose actions helped keep him alive.
Steve said: “I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who helped me that day. Without their quick actions I wouldn't be here. It means so much to be able to meet the people who gave me extra time with my family and friends.”
Steve has little memory of what happened that day but has since returned to activities he enjoys, including a reorganised ski trip that had initially been postponed and attending more matches to support Birmingham City.
The experience has also had a lasting impact on his family, with relatives since learning CPR through initiatives linked to Birmingham City Football Club.
Steve's wife, Judy, said she had been at home several hours away when the incident happened and initially knew nothing was wrong.
She said: “It was a terrifying time not knowing whether Steve would be okay. To now have him back home with us is incredible and we're so grateful to everyone who helped save his life.
“As a family, we have since learnt CPR and I really encourage everyone to learn if they can. You never know when someone you love might need your help and it could make all the difference.”
Steve's daughter Johanna, an intensive care nurse, also encouraged people to learn the life-saving skill.
She said: “What happened to my dad is a reminder that cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, at any time.
“CPR is a simple skill that anyone can learn and it can genuinely mean the difference between life and death. I would encourage everyone to take the time to learn it because one day you could save someone's parent, partner, friend or child.”
SECAmb critical care paramedic Laini Marshall said Steve's experience highlighted the importance of early CPR and defibrillation.
She said: “Steve’s story highlights the importance of early recognition, CPR and defibrillation when someone suffers a cardiac arrest. This was a real team effort, involving the event medical team, our emergency operations centre, ambulance crews and hospital colleagues.
“Seeing Steve back with his family and enjoying life again is exactly why improving cardiac arrest outcomes is so important.”
HART team operative Matthew Dale also praised the support provided by Crawley Town's stewards and events team during the emergency.
He said: “A big shout out to the stewards and events team who helped clear the area and ensured we could get vehicles in quickly. Their support made a real difference during a time-critical emergency.”
SECAmb is encouraging people to learn CPR and find out where their nearest defibrillator is.
The ambulance service is also urging people trained in CPR to sign up to GoodSAM, an app which alerts nearby volunteer responders to life-threatening emergencies, including cardiac arrests.
Following the incident, then-Crawley Town manager Rob Elliot paid tribute to the medical staff who treated Steve.
Speaking after Crawley's 1-0 defeat to Birmingham City, Elliot said: “Firstly, one thing we should be proud of is the medical staff after they took care of the poor gentleman who had the medical emergency and I think by all accounts he is doing well which is massive relief and puts football into perspective.
“So a huge shout out to them. Footballers get idolised but those guys are the real heroes. We're just grateful that they were there and everything ended as well as it could.”
To find out more about learning CPR or becoming a GoodSAM responder, visit www.secamb.nhs.uk/cpr.