Gran thanks South Shields paramedic who saved her

Margaret Gray, 60, who is asthmatic and suffers from a number of lung diseases, woke up on November 9 struggling to breath and then passed out and stopped breathing.

Her husband, Matty, called 999 and within seven minutes, paramedic Caroline Shaw and her student Brad Brooks were on the scene.

Realising how poorly Margaret was, Caroline called for a second paramedic team for back-up and Paul Handley arrived two minutes later in a rapid response vehicle.

Caroline and Paul continued to take turns to give CPR and when Margaret started to breath, administered a specialist mask to send medication directly into Margaret’s lungs.

When the ambulance arrived at South Tyneside Hospital at 5.56am, Margaret had stabilised and her GCS levels had returned to a normal range.

Margaret, from Mitford Terrace, Jarrow, has now returned home after treatment.

She said: “I don’t remember anything that happened that morning until I woke up in the hospital but my husband told me all about how Caroline and the rest of the team brought me back to life.

“It was really scary for Matty as he was told to leave the room. But he was full of praise for the ambulance team and how well they dealt with the situation. They basically brought me back from the dead and I was really keen to meet and say thank you to Caroline in person.

Caroline, 38, from South Shields, said: “When we arrived at Margaret’s house she was in a bad way. She was unconscious and wasn’t breathing. After giving her CPR and a nebuliser, she stabilised and when I handed her over to the hospital team I knew she was going to be OK.

“To find out Margaret wanted to meet me to say thank you in person was a lovely surprise. It’s really gratifying when you meet someone later who has recovered and is doing well. This was a real team effort and I couldn’t have done it without Brad and Paul.”