A BRYNAMAN RFC player who had a cardiac arrest on the pitch and survived has paid a touching tribute to his lifesavers.

Simon James, a second row for the club’s second side, collapsed without warning as they took on Cefneithin RFC April 4.

Spectators and Simon’s teammates began cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, before a Welsh Ambulance Service volunteer arrived and delivered an electric shock to Simon using a defibrillator.

Two ambulances and a helicopter also made towards the scene and the father-of-three was rushed to hospital, where he spent more than a week in a critical condition.

Simon, 37, is now on the road to recovery, and has been reunited with one of his lifesavers, Community First Responder David Henry.

Simon said: “I’ve got no memory of that day at all, or of that weekend come to think of it.

“What I do know is that I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for everyone who helped me – the first responder, the ambulance crew and the doctors and nurses.

“You hear a lot about sportsmen who go into cardiac arrest on the pitch, but not all of them survive. I survived.”

Simon, who is father to Corey, 16, Connor, 14, and Katlyn, 12, says he has never had a problem with his heart before, but had a warning sign in the days before his collapse.

He said: “About a week before it happened I was out for my son’s birthday and had a pain in the top of my chest. I just thought it was indigestion or heartburn so I disregarded it.

“On that Saturday morning I’d been to Choi Kwang Do, and then went out to play rugby. Just before the end of the first half I went down.”

A cardiac arrest happens when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body.

The person may suffer permanent damage to the brain and other organs unless someone starts CPR or delivers a shock through the chest wall using a defibrillator.

First responder David, of Brynaman, was en route to the club’s ground to watch the game when he had a text message from the ambulance service control room.

He arrived within four minutes and began the ‘chain of survival’ by continuing the chest compressions and delivering a shock to Simon with his defibrillator.

Minutes later, two ambulances and a Wales Air Ambulance with a doctor on board had also arrived and Simon was taken to Swansea’s Morriston Hospital, where he spent five days in intensive care, and a further five days in the cardiac ward.

There, a stent was inserted in the arteries around his heart to improve the blood supply to his heart muscle.

Simon said: “The care I had at Morriston Hospital was fantastic, the nurses really looked after me. I still go back to visit them. I’m so grateful.”

Simon, who is a truck driver with Bridgend-based TD Williams, is now undergoing tests to try and establish what happened.

He said: “The arrest was completely out of the blue, so I’ve been meeting with a consultant to try and get some answers. It’s a bit of a scary time until we find out more.”

Stephen Roberts, Regional First Responder Officer at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “There’s no doubt about it – the CPR that Simon’s teammates and our David Henry performed along with the shocks from the defibrillator helped to save his life.

“By the time our ambulance crews had reached Simon, the ‘chain of survival’ was well underway. Without a doubt, it gave him a fighting chance at life.

“In the unfortunate event that anyone else in the Brynaman community needs a defibrillator, you’ll find one outside The Black Mountain Centre on Cwmgarw Road.”

Simon, who has kicked his smoking habit since his cardiac arrest, is being supported through his recovery by wife Gemma.

Think you can help save a life like David? The Welsh Ambulance Service is recruiting more Community First Responders.

Visit the Community First Responders section of the Welsh Ambulance Service website for more information about becoming a volunteer, or email amb_first.responder.central@wales.nhs.uk