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It all started when Jonty was hanging out the washing at his Martinborough home. When suddenly he fell to the floor.

His step-daughter, Hannah, was in the kitchen and couldn’t see him. Her initial reaction was that Jonty was mucking around. But she questioned the silence. It felt awkward, so she went outside to investigate and found Jonty sprawled across the deck not breathing.

Hannah panicked and screamed for her step-sister, Missy, who came running. For these two young women it was an emotional moment. Jonty’s life was in their hands.

“I remember everything in vivid colour. We picked him up and laid him on the deck. I could see that he was turning blue; there was no movement in his chest. I went through my little checks – you’re not breathing, your airways are open but you need help now,” Hannah explains.

Jonty was extremely lucky that Hannah knew what had to be done and how to do it.  She immediately got Missy to call 111 so she could start doing CPR.

“As soon as it happened it was like a book came into view and I was like I need to do this, this and this; but you never think you’ll be involved in something as serious as this.”

“We just couldn’t lose him. Jonty has been such a big part of the last four years for me and mum – nothing else mattered in that moment, I was just like ‘you’re not dying with me here’.”

Hannah’s focus was on the CPR. Time had no concept to her but she knew it was important to make a mental note of the time for when paramedics arrived.

The blurred silence was then broken with the sound of sirens - firstly from the Martinborough Fire and Emergency NZ crew, then Wellington Free Paramedics Andrew and Doug shortly after. They were followed by their colleagues Anne and Allan, along with Flight Paramedic Nigel aboard the rescue helicopter.

“When the emergency services got there it was an utter relief. It was great to have the emotional support and to know that someone with the knowledge and technology to help was with me,” Hannah explains.

When our team arrived they took over Jonty’s clinical care. The crew from Fire and Emergency NZ had already put an AED on Jonty and delivered one successful shock to his heart.

Our paramedics were doing all they could to help Jonty survive; working quickly and efficiently they managed to get Jonty’s heart to start beating in a rhythm that could keep him alive.

“We’re usually on the back foot and having to play catch up to improve the person’s condition before we get a successful heartbeat again. Excellent CPR, an early shock from an AED – especially with where Jonty lives – in our opinion the two most important things had already been done when we got there," Paramedic Andrew explains.

Saving a life is about more than medicines and monitors; it’s about human decisions. Hannah had acted quickly and decisively. This highlights the importance of people knowing how to do CPR in our communities.

With Jonty’s condition improving second-by-second, Andrew, Doug, Anne and Allan urgently needed to turn their attention to how they were going to get him to hospital. Everyone had to be focused to ensure that each step went as planned.

Next Intensive Care Paramedic Anne and Flight Paramedic Nigel had to prepare Jonty for transport via helicopter. A highly technical procedure that’s called Rapid Sequence Intubation (RSI) was needed. This involved taking over management of Jonty’s airway, putting him into a controlled and immediate state of unresponsiveness and muscular relaxation.

Jonty was completely in the hands of those on the ground helping him survive and our team knew they needed to get him to hospital as quickly as possible.

Nigel explains that having family around helped save Jonty’s life.

“Without Hannah and Missy’s courage and willingness to step up and start CPR, the outcome could have been completely different. His survival is a testament to their bravery and the skill of the first responders and paramedics that attended,” Nigel explains.

Today, Jonty is back at home with his family. He doesn’t remember much apart from waking up in hospital a few days later but is grateful that help was there.

“Something like this does change your attitude. I am so fortunate to have my family around me. I could have been in the office or somewhere on the farm; the reality is that the outcome could have been a lot different.

“I’d like to think I have a lot of years left but that could have all been taken away. I’m really grateful that the support was there for me that day. I owe my life to everyone who helped me; I just can’t thank everyone enough,” Jonty says.

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