Cyclist who 'died and survived' urges people to support the Air Ambulance that saved his life

Four years ago, John Wilson was a patient flown by Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA) after he suffered a cardiac arrest during the 2016 Eroica Britannia bike ride in Bakewell.

A former international basketball player and captain of the Sheffield Sharks team, John had stopped at the bottom of a hill to wait for his wife, who was riding behind him, when he collapsed.

John said: “Basically I died but due to the speedy actions of medics and the local air ambulance I survived.”

It is believed John had gone into a cardiac arrhythmia which in turn caused him to have a cardiac arrest.

Fortunately, he was given immediate CPR by a consultant anaesthetist who was also taking part in the event.

When an ambulance arrived shortly after with a defibrillator, John was treated and his heart ‘restarted'.

The DLRAA then took him to the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield in just eight minutes, meaning he received the lifesaving hospital interventions he desperately needed far sooner.

John spent two weeks in hospital and he has now made a full recovery.

Since his accident, he and his wife Gillian have been cycling regularly, including taking part in the Eroica Britannia bike ride again in 2017 and 2018.

He continued: “When you nearly lose your life as I did you see the world with a different pair of goggles on.

“You see the things that really matter to you and you focus on them.”

John says he ‘cannot praise the air ambulance crew who came to my rescue enough’ and has been to its base at East Midlands Airport to say thank you in person to them.

He said: “Many people don’t realise the local air ambulance is a charity which receives no government funding.

“By sharing my story about the part DLRAA played in saving my life, I hope people will be encouraged to support them.”

To help and support your local air ambulance, call 0300 3045999 or click here.