November 26th 2023.
Ginny Long was only 16 when she saved her dad Andy's life five years ago. They had just returned home to East Sussex from a camping trip to the VW Festival, where her dad's band, Coldshot, was performing. As Andy was taking the camping equipment out of the car, he suddenly collapsed face-first. Ginny had no warning and he hadn't been feeling ill or had any symptoms.
Ginny quickly realized the severity of the situation and ran to the car to grab her phone. She had to turn her dad over onto his back to get his car keys so she could call 999. The call handler then talked her through how to perform CPR, something she had seen on TV but had no formal training in.
Ginny and a neighbor took turns performing CPR for about 20 minutes, until paramedics arrived. They took Andy to a medical helicopter and rushed him to Conquest Hospital in Hastings. Ginny had no idea what had happened to her dad until she arrived at the hospital, where she found out he had been put into an induced coma for three weeks.
When Andy woke up, he had to have a tracheotomy, which is why he still has a croaky voice today. He stayed in the hospital for a month and had an ICD fitted, and also later had stents fitted after an major aortic aneurysm was discovered. Although he is much better now, he still struggles with energy levels and had to give up work.
Ginny said she was glad to be able to do what she did. She is now 22 and a support worker at autism charity Aspens, and her dad has nominated her for a Heart Hero Award from the British Heart Foundation. She said, "When I talked to Ginny about how she’d managed to do it she was just really matter of fact and said: “I didn’t have a choice, you’re my Dad and I wanted to do everything to make sure you were still here.”
Ginny is one of the nominees being celebrated ahead of the British Heart Foundation’s Heart Hero Awards ceremony on December 6 at Glaziers Hall in central London. The ceremony will be attended by a star-studded guest list, and the BHF will be accepting donations this Christmas.
It's clear Ginny is an incredible daughter, and her dad is very grateful for her quick-thinking and bravery. Cardiac arrests usually happen without warning, so it's important to be aware of the symptoms and to always be prepared to act. According to the British Heart Foundation, signs of a cardiac arrest include sudden collapse, unconsciousness, unresponsiveness, and not breathing or breathing normally. If you see someone having a cardiac arrest, phone 999 immediately and start CPR.
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