Off-duty Staffordshire nurse praised for life-saving CPR

Michelle Cooper (centre, right) was given an award for coming to Roger Priestnall's aid

A man has been reunited with an off-duty nurse who he said saved his life after he went into cardiac arrest on a bike ride in the Peak District.

Roger Priestnall, from Derby, was cycling with his wife when he fell off his bike into a ditch in March 2018.

The pandemic delayed him meeting Michelle Cooper, from the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, who came to his aid while also cycling.

"Because of her my husband is still alive," his wife, Julia, said.

"We are eternally grateful to Michelle for stopping on her day out with her family to save Roger's life."

Ms Cooper, who works as an A&E nurse, started performing CPR on Mr Priestnall with the help of others.

An ambulance crew arrived after 35 minutes and Mr Priestnall's pulse came back when paramedics used a defibrillator.

The 67-year-old was taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital by air ambulance, underwent a triple heart bypass surgery and the trust said he has fully recovered.

"It was a momentous day that I pulled through and we are so thankful to Michelle and what she did on that day," Mr Priestnall said.

His cardiac arrest happened in March 2018 but due to the Covid-19 pandemic he could only recently be reunited with Ms Cooper.

The nurse has been given an award by the NHS trust and said seeing Mr Priestnall doing well was the best outcome for her.

"It's lovely to be recognised for doing what I do every day at work but it was very different in an out of work scenario," she added.

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