Footballer thanks those who helped save his life
Submitted photoA footballer saved after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a match has thanked the people who played a critical part in saving his life.
Marvin Joseph-Daay was playing in goal for Englefield Eagles but collapsed as his teammates were attacking a corner in December.
He was given chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by a referee and a spectator who had been watching another match at the Sol Joel Park in Earley, Berkshire, before he was taken to hospital.
Joseph-Daay said he suffered heart failure in 2019 but was taking medication and felt well when the incident happened.
He said as the Eagles had suffered a poor run of form, he was more concerned about trying to rectify that before he collapsed.
"We were beaten quite heavily for the weeks prior to [the incident] and I was just concentrating on keeping a clean sheet because I was playing in goal," he said.
"When I listened to what had happened after I had woken up, it still gives me goosebumps, just to know how touch and go I was to not being here anymore."
Richard Witt was watching another match on another pitch, hours after he had been on a night out with friends.
Witt knew CPR training from his job at Reading FC's Community Trust and helped treat Joseph-Daay before paramedics arrived.
"I'm just glad that I was there to help support and to make a bit of a difference to bringing [Joseph-Daay] back and getting [him] to the professionals who needed to help," Witt said.
"For me, there were no congratulations needed. We were just really proud that we were able to support [Joseph-Daay] in an incident that happened so quickly."
Defibrillators give a jolt of energy to the heart to help it start beating again when a person is in cardiac arrest and their heart has stopped.
Anyone can use a defibrillator without training and many have visual prompts to help them use it.
No one can shock someone or themselves accidentally by using them. The device will check the person's heart rhythm and will only give out a shock if it is required.
