Man reunites with medics who saved his life

Tony Tardio (centre) had an emotional reunion with the medics who saved his life

A man who had a cardiac arrest in Wembley Stadium has enjoyed an "emotional" reunion with the team who saved him.

Tony Tardio, from Frampton Cotterell in South Gloucestershire, was attending a match with his father in October when his heart stopped.

He was treated by stadium medics before paramedics took him to hospital.

"What they did was remarkable... they did not give up on me," Mr Tardio said.

The 62-year-old was walking to his seat when he "face planted the concrete".

Earier, he said he had felt fine, and was not experiencing any pain or symptoms.

“It was my father that bared the brunt of the emotional scars more than anything because he witnessed it," Mr Tardio said.

His father alerted medical staff in the stadium, who came to Mr Tardio's aid within two minutes.

Mr Tardio said he felt "so blessed" to have received the care he did

A team of six medics gave him CPR, and treated him with a defibrillator seven times while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

"I was so blessed and lucky to have it in a public place," Mr Tardio said.

"Had it have been 10 minutes before, outside the stadium, I wouldn’t be here now.

"One person to give me CPR for half an hour wouldn’t have been possible - it’s too much hard work. It needed a team - which I was so lucky to have."

The medics at Wembley managed to get Mr Tardio's heart pumping again, but he suffered a second cardiac arrest while being transferred into the ambulance.

Paramedics continued his treatment until they arrived at Harefield Hospital in London, where he was placed in a coma.

'People left behind'

Following his recovery, Mr Tardio and his family wrote to the medics who treated him at the stadium to thank them for their efforts.

It led to an invite to the FA Cup Final on 25 May, where he was able to reunite with the team.

"It was a surreal experience and an emotional time," he said.

Mr Tardio went into cardiac arrest when his heart stopped, due to a blockage in his arteries.

He has since had stents fitted to prevent another blockage.

“I’m truly blessed to have had everything on my side.

"I thought about things like the people I would’ve left behind and how they would’ve suffered as well.

"A lot of people would’ve been upset, had things not have turned out the way they did," Mr Tardio added.