Day two of freedom - with a happy ending!

I've had to be honest about my health in recent months in order to reduce the number of requests and emails I receive in relation to library talks/author Q&As/festival visits. So, I celebrated my release after 12 weeks of recovery by visiting Birmingham - I had a wonderful day, albeit that walking amongst human beings felt very strange.  

Early the next morning, I went for a dog walk - knowing I'd had a successful outing the day before. I tell this story because if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone. I had no idea what was waiting for me around the corner. I found a young man collapsed on a driveway. I'll save you the details but it was clear he wasn't in a good way. I called 999 for an ambulance, and with the assurance of the wonderful lady at ambulance control, I ended up doing chest compressions on him. That was the very last thing I could ever have imagined doing on leaving the house. I'm grateful to hear that he's doing OK but he was lucky that I knew the basics. He was lucky that I'd behaved myself for 12 weeks and could physically complete the task. I feel incredibly lucky for the moral support I've received after the event - it was a totally crappy experience to have encountered. I'm not sure what the Universe was 'playing at' by sending me that surprise!

If you're reading this and have no idea what 'you' would have done on finding that young man ... then here's a link to get some free training. This morning, I redid the training just incase it ever happens to me again - though I hope it never does.
​Press here: British Heart Foundation link