Nursing students swing into action to save life

After undergoing many hours of first aid and CPR training for his studies, University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) nursing student Isaac Leach never thought the first time he’d need his skills would be before a round of golf with his friend Jack Ryan.

Isaac was in the pro shop at the Toowoomba City Golf Club, waiting to purchase a drink, when the man in front of him stumbled and collapsed onto the counter.

“I quickly stepped forward and caught him and asked if he was okay,” Isaac said.

“He had a pulse, but he was not responsive.”

Allen Longridge had suffered a heart attack, but fortunately for him, Isaac knew what to do and immediately swung into action.

“I rushed to his aid and began to assess him,” he said.

“Allen had hit his head on the floor and was bleeding.

“I checked his pulse again, and it was gone.

“I told Chris (Britnell, pro shop manager) to grab the nearby defibrillator, and I put Allen in the recovery position to clear out his mouth.”

At this moment, Jack, a fellow UniSQ nursing student, entered the pro shop.

“Jack was unaware of what had happened, but once he saw what was going on, he quickly came to the floor and gave me a hand with the defibrillator,” Isaac said.

“After Jack pressed and delivered the shock, and once it was safe, I assessed Allen again, but he still wasn’t breathing.

“I commenced CPR, and he started to breathe. However, he still wasn’t responsive or reactive to any pain receptors.

“I continued monitoring Allen to ensure he was still breathing until the paramedics arrived.

“As soon as they arrived and started to assess him, he opened his eyes and tried to sit up, but he was confused about what had happened.”

Isaac and Jack don’t call themselves heroes, but Allen may beg to differ.

“Without them, I wouldn’t be here probably,” Allen told 7News Toowoomba.

It was a case of being at the right place at the right time for Isaac.

“I put the whole thing down to my studies and training,” he said.

“Without them, I wouldn't have had the confidence I did at that moment, which could have changed the outcome.”

Isaac said he was grateful to see Allen doing well when they caught up a few days after his heart attack.

“I had never met Allen before this incident, and reconnecting with someone whose life you've saved and seeing them doing well is just an indescribable feeling,” he said.

“It makes you feel really good knowing you've made a difference in someone's life.”

Helping others is a family tradition for Isaac, whose grandmother was a nurse, grandfather was a vascular surgeon, and sister is a registered nurse.

He urged everyone to learn first aid, CPR and how to operate an automated external defibrillator.