Quick-thinking hero postman dashed in from street to give CPR to ... trends now
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A postman has been hailed a hero after giving CPR to a mother when she had a heart attack and effectively died for 50 minutes.
Ann Carter, 65, stopped breathing while at her daughter Sarah's house in Stoke Orchard, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, on March 14.
The mother-of-three, who lives next door, had popped round with her dog when she suddenly fell ill.
After raising the alarm on the phone, she lost consciousness and fell onto her front on the floor. Sarah came home to find her mother not breathing but was unable to move her and went out into the street to cry for help.
Luckily, postman Shane Clarke was nearby and carried out CPR for several minutes in a bid to get Ann's heart beating again, despite never having performed the act before.
This proved to be crucial and with paramedics later taking over the CPR, the mother-of-three survived.
Ann Carter, 65, with hero postman Shane Clarke who saved her life through CPR
Ann was put into an induced coma for three days and contracted pneumonia
Ann is sore after having her ribs broken during the extensive CPR
Medics were amazed that Ann not only lived but avoided suffering brain damage, despite not breathing for 35 minutes and then, after her pulse came back briefly, for a further 15 minutes.
Ann, who is recovering at home after a nine-day stay in Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in Gloucester, said: 'Everyone in the hospital kept telling me all the time that what happened was a miracle. Shane is such a nice guy. He's an unobtrusive part of the community.
'I owe him everything. I would not be here without him.'
The incident saw paramedics use a defibrillator several times to try to shock Ann's heart back into action. An air ambulance also attended because traffic in the area was heavy due to the Cheltenham Festival taking place.
Ann, who was put into an induced coma for three days and contracted pneumonia, had a stent fitted. She is sore after having her ribs broken during the extensive CPR and slightly breathless at times.
But she has made an astonishingly good recovery and is hugely grateful to Shane and the NHS for bringing her back to life.
Ann recovered in hospital after the heart attack which effectively left her dead for 50 minutes
Ann teaches English part-time at Cleeve School in nearby Bishop's Cleeve and has four grandchildren
Ann has asked the Sudden Arrhythmic Death charity to put Shane forward for one of its lifesaver awards
She said: 'The first time I saw Shane after I came back
