Deana Heasell saved dad's life at 70th birthday party when he suffered a heart attack

A DAUGHTER celebrating her father’s 70th birthday leapt into action when he suffered a heart attack by performing CPR for 15 minutes to bring him back to life.

Deana Heasell realised something was wrong when she heard her dad, Tim Taylor, making “odd breathing noises” as he sat behind her at a family barbecue in a field in Netley Marsh.

She said: “I joked to dad, ‘You can’t fall asleep now!’ But when I turned around I realised there was something seriously wrong.

“He had gone all grey and clammy. I ran to him and realised he was not breathing.

“My husband helped me get him on the ground and I just started CPR. I was on the phone to 999 and they were telling me to keep going. It seemed like a lifetime but there was no way I was going to give up.”

Deana (43), who manages Stepping Stones Day Nursey in Eling, Totton, has been trained in CPR – short for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which can involve chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breathing.

She said: “It just kicked in what I needed to do. It was absolutely exhausting and quite a horrific situation at the time.

“I’m a daddy’s girl so it was a very emotional situation. I was shouting at him, ‘Dad, I need you!’ At one stage I got him breathing again and put him in the recovery position only for him to stop again.

“That was the worse moment. I started CPR again. I was so tired but I could hear the ambulance sirens in the background and I knew there was no way I was stopping until they got there.”

Her father Tim, who works as a handyman at her nursery, was rushed to Southampton General Hospital where it was found he had suffered a heart attack.

He has since had a stent fitted and is recovering well.

Deana’s mother Julie Taylor told how her daughter’s amazing bravery on 19th August saved her husband’s life, saying: “She was very cool and calm but I could see the terror in her eyes.

“I worked in a hospital and have medical training but when Tim collapsed I just went into complete shock.

“Deana just took over – she was absolutely wonderful. If it hadn’t been for her Tim would not be here. The paramedics told her that when they arrived and the doctors at the hospital.

“I am just so proud of her.”

Julie said the family had been enjoying Tim’s milestone birthday before he suddenly took ill. She said: “He had just been given a Saints football shirt and posed for a photo smiling in it. He had absolutely no symptoms.

“One minute he was fine and the next I saw that he had gone a funny colour and was all clammy. It’s unbelievable how close we came to losing him.

“When Deana visited he told her, ‘You must like me!’ I think whatever she wants from her dad in the future she can have now.”

Julie and Deana are speaking about the family drama in the hope that it will raise awareness of how important learning how to carry out CPR can be.

Deana said: “I am so terribly proud that I managed to save dad’s life. CPR is easy to learn and if you find yourself in the situation I did just don’t give up.

“There were times when I thought we had lost him, but he’s proof of how CPR really can be a life-saver.”

Julie added: “If this can happen to us it can happen to anyone. Please learn CPR – you never know when you might need it.”