In May 2021 Sheila Breeds, from Criccieth, went for a swim at her local beach to try out her new wet suit, whilst her husband Oliver Schick went to play golf.
It is a day that Sheila and her family will remember forever after she suffered a brain haemorrhage at the beach which resulted in her falling face down into the sea and nearly drowning.
Fortunately for Sheila, a family who were visiting the area from Wrexham witnessed what happened.
Kathy Clutton, Neil Dobie and their sons Myles and Harris were waiting to go down on the beach when the boys alerted their father to what had happened to Sheila. Neil, with the help of some bystanders, then dragged Sheila up the steps to the lower promenade.
Neil gave Sheila cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while Kathy called for help. They and a few other people, including Sheila’s near neighbour Rich Wilcock, continued CPR for 20 minutes until medical help arrived.
Paramedics from the Welsh Ambulance Service were joined at the scene by Wales Air Ambulance’s Caernarfon crew, Jonathan Holman, Thomas Derwyn Jones and James Mercer.
Upon arrival, the air ambulance crew attached a device to Sheila called the LUCAS device to continue mechanical CPR. They then took over Sheila’s breathing by inserting a breathing tube into her airway and attaching her to a ventilator.
Sheila’s husband Oliver said: “The medics used the defibrillator on Sheila whilst Jon the pilot was running to and from the helicopter to fetch kit – stretcher and all other manner of things. Jon had landed the helicopter on a sixpence near the West Parade car park to be as close as possible.”
Thankfully, after a few minutes of intervention from the crew Sheila’s heart started beating again. She was kept sedated and flown directly to Ysbyty Gwynedd where her care was handed over to the specialist doctors.
Oliver added: “After an unbelievable 40 minutes of heart stoppage, they finally got her going again and flew her to hospital.”
It was later confirmed following scans in hospital that Sheila had suffered a bleed on her brain whilst she was in the water.
Following Sheila’s brain haemorrhage, she remained in a critical condition for ten days and her prognosis was poor.
Miraculously she came round but then the haemorrhage bled again and she was “blue-lighted” to the Walton Centre in Liverpool where she had an emergency coiling procedure.
Sheila’s recovery was slow, and she later underwent another operation. A year on from nearly losing her life, Sheila was discharged home.
To show their appreciation to the Charity for its ‘excellent service and attention,’ the family decided to fundraise. A Christmas appeal was set up and all the friends and people who ‘supported them during their worst times’ donated to the cause.
Oliver continued: “We raised nearly £2,000, but a life is worth one hell of a lot more than that! We will endeavour to make 2024 a red-letter year and will continue to support the Wales Air Ambulance and encourage everyone to learn basic first aid.”
The family would like to thank everyone who helped save Sheila’s life and everyone who played their part in her continued recovery.
The air ambulance service in Wales is delivered via a unique Third Sector and Public Sector partnership. The Wales Air Ambulance Charity needs to raise £11.2 million every year to keep its helicopters in the air and its rapid response vehicles on the road. The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the Charity’s vehicles.
Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and, if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury. For the patient, this can mean hours saved when compared to standard care and is proven to greatly improve survival and early recovery.
As a pan-Wales service, the dedicated air ambulance crews, regardless of where they are based, will travel the length and breadth of the country to deliver emergency lifesaving care.
