A BUSINESS owner has told how he helped save the life of an elderly man using a defibrillator bought by the community.

Andrew McKeen, who owns The Chuck Wagon in Lamont Place, rushed to the aid of a pensioner who collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest in Sainsbury’s supermarket last week.

Andrew managed to perform CPR using his defibrillator which he got for his business after fundraising in the community.

He said: “I was in the Chuck Wagon and someone from Sainsbury’s came in and said they needed the defibrillator so we rushed over with it and found a gentleman in cardiac arrest already receiving CPR.

“We performed one shock from the Chuck Wagon defibrillator and then we performed CPR. The ambulance came and performed four more shocks and CPR and he eventually started breathing himself again.”

Andrew believes the defibrillator saved the man’s life.

He said: “It’s very much a success story for the defibrillator. The training kicked in obviously we just tried to get to him as quickly as we could.

“The fact that a quick thinking staff member ran across to let us know , he acted quickly and we dealt with it as fast as we could.

“It’s the first time it’s been used and hopefully the last, but it just shows how important the fundraising was to get the defibrillator in the first place. Without the quick-thinking action of the people on that day it might have been a different story. Your chances of survival lessen by 10 per cent with every minute that passes, without a defibrillator.

“The initial reports I have had seem positive about his condition.”

A spokesman for Sainsbury’s said: “We can confirm an ambulance was called to the store. We’re grateful to our colleagues for the support they provided.”

Do you know the man who was saved by the defibrillator? Call us on 01294 447521.