Heavily pregnant woman saves husband's life following heart attack
A heavily pregnant woman has been recognised for her courageous behaviour after she saved her husband's life following a heart attack.
Colin Winn was dying as he lay on his living room couch on Australia Day in 2017 – just three weeks before his daughter was born.
The 46-year-old's wife, Karen Clark, who was eight-months pregnant, managed to muster up the strength and put Mr Winn on the floor and start CPR.
Her actions ultimately saved his life.
"I was lucky enough to be alive to see the birth of our child Juliette and to see Chiara still to grow up... I'm a very, very lucky guy," Mr Winn revealed.
"His symptoms were so extreme - cardiac arrest is quite violent. Before I even ran to him I just called 000," Ms Clark recalled.
Mr Winn was one of many who had no inkling that a heart attack may occur. He was healthy for his age and had no family history of heart attacks.
The highest proportion of heart attacks occur in the home and knowing the immediate symptoms is vital.
These include sudden collapse, a lack of pulse, no breathing and loss of consciousness while other warning signs could include blackouts, dizziness and chest pain.
"The power that we hold as an individual in saving somebody's life is immense but all we need to do is to learn CPR and be brave enough to have a go," Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.
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On Sunday, Ms Clark's bravery was recognised with a Victor Chang Heart of Gold award. She says a fear of not knowing what to do pushed her to read up on cardiac arrests.
"Can you imagine being in that situation and just being helpless? It's just your worst nightmare," Ms Clark said.