Samantha Turner, 45, suffered a cardiac arrest in Ipswich. A SARS volunteer team was mobilised to provide specialist critical care for Mrs Turner. Working with Paramedics from East of England Ambulance Service and a support crew from the St John Ambulance, the SARS team treated Sam at the scene.It was soon clear that she needed urgent surgery at a specialist cardiac centre to remove a clot from one of the arteries supplying her heart. SARS volunteers, Dr Neil Berry, CCP Jemma Varela and Dr Justin Brown accompanied Sam in the back of the ambulance to the cardiac centre in Basildon, over fifty miles away. During the course of the journey, Sams heart stopped again several times and the SARS team had to undertake complex prehospital interventions in order to keep her stable. It is rare for patients to survive from this particular scenario so it is really pleasing to know that Sam has now made an excellent recovery.

I'm so grateful to all the emergency services that attended, I am in no doubt that their quick response and the critical care from the specialist volunteer SARS team saved my life. I can't believe that these dedicated people are willing to give up so much of their time for free to help others and save lives - thanks to these heroes I can now look forward to the rest of mine."