A Nottinghamshire man ran a ten-mile race a year after suffering a heart attack – and was congratulated at the finish line by the medic who helped save his life.
Roland Malkin, from Southwell, was at home with his family when he had a cardiac arrest on September 12 2014.
Malcolm Kirk, a volunteer First Community Responder, was the first on the scene after the 999 call.
Roland (pictured above, right, with Malcolm) said: “The last thing I remember is watching TV with my wife and son, and the next thing I had collapsed.
“Malcolm was due to come off of his shift, but by sheer luck he had kept his phone on and answered the call – even though he wasn’t on duty.”
Malcolm’s actions saved my life
“Malcolm’s actions saved my life, words are not enough to explain how appreciative I am – Malcolm was there at the right moment, and that is what counts.
“Community First Responders are ready to face anything to help out their communities.”
Since recovering from the incident last year, Roland has been working towards the 10-mile run with a group called Cardiac Athletes, who meet to support each other and stay active after heart problems.
He completed the run on October 18 at Thoresby.
Malcolm said: “It’s wonderful to think it’s possible to run 10 miles after having a cardiac arrest. It’s marvellous to see his amazing recovery – the attack happened on the Friday and when I went to see his wife on the Monday evening, with such high hopes he would be okay – I was just shocked to find he was already home and looking well.”
Mr Kirk is one of five First Community Responders in Southwell, and joined the voluntary team twelve years ago when he retired.
Photo: Malcolm (in blue) and Roland (third from left) with the other Cardiac Athletes
The responders are called at the same time as ambulances, and often arrive on scene before paramedics can.
Since the start of the year, Mr Kirk has already attended 91 calls – providing assistance with accidents, broken arms and chest pains.
He said: “It’s a very tense job, after each incident you go to bed at night not being able to sleep, thinking about what you might have done, hoping that they will be okay.”
Defibrillators like the one used by Mr Kirk to save Roland’s life cost thousands of pounds, and thanks to fundraising and a £500 donation from Southwell Town Council, the local area will now have a resident defibrillator in the town centre.
Mr Kirk was one of 18 Community Responders to be given an award recently for more than 1,500 hours of service.
