Esther Lauaki
A Kealba woman who saved a man’s life after he collapsed in the grips of a heart attack is encouraging Victorians to learn CPR.
Melissa Lockwood’s life changed on October 14, five years ago when she was first on the scene after a man had collapsed from a massive heart attack.
“I was at work at Coles when I was called for a code blue [medical emergency] in the deli and I found the man unresponsive and realised he wasn’t breathing,” Melissa said.
She sprung into action and performed CPR on the man until emergency services arrived to take over.
“You never think when you’re learning CPR that you’ll ever have to use it,” Melissa said.
“I was told later by emergency workers that the man had suffered a fatal heart attack which means his heart stopped completely before he hit the ground that day.
“ When I got there he was not breathing and had no pulse.
“You don’t think, you just go in there and do what you need to do…. my instincts just kicked in.
“We managed to bring him back through CPR.
“When we put him in the recovery position, he was very blue and had a big gash on his head from when he fell.
“I got all emotional once the fire officers took over from me.”
She was told by paramedics that the man would not have survived if not for her life-saving skills.
“He didn’t come in for a long time because he was in hospital for a long time recovering.
“I kept in touch with his niece for a while afterwards because I just needed to see him to see he was alright.
“It was so emotional when he eventually did come visit me at the supermarket.”
Melissa encourages anyone who has not completed their first aid training to sign up to the course.
St John Ambulance Victoria has recently launched its first-ever virtual first aid course, equipping Australians with critical life-saving skills from the comfort of their own homes.
