Limerick Person of the Month: Life-savers praised for fast action

THREE MEN who saved the life of a man on his way to a hurling match have been named Limerick Persons of the Month.

Professor Barry Linnane, Dr Michael Shinkwin, both of North Circular Road, and Declan Gill, a vet from Castleconnell, said they were “quietly humbled” to receive the award.

The men had to put their medical skills to use when Tom Healy from Adare went into cardiac arrest in the shadow of the Gaelic Grounds in April, just before the Limerick v Waterford championship game.

The consultant paediatrician, veterinary surgeon and doctor performed chest compressions and rescue breathing for 20 minutes before paramedics arrived on scene.

Fan saved after collapse on way to see Limerick hurlers’ clash

Miraculously, after a team effort, Mr Healy started to improve and he was transferred to University Hospital Limerick.
Professor Linnane who was first on the scene, went to visit the 76-year-old in hospital a few days later and said his condition was “better than I could have hoped”.

The three heroes have now been recognised as Limerick Persons of the Month for their lifesaving efforts.

“Several people there on the day contributed. From the person who went to get the defibrillator, the young woman who called the ambulance and the elderly couple who looked after my kids. What we did was very straight forward, we started chest compressions and we did them effectively," said Prof Linnane.

“An ambulance was called and we just kept going until they came. We didn't do anything terribly sophisticated. It says something about the human spirit, that all of a sudden total strangers were able to come together and act as a team, with a singular purpose”.

Dr Shinkwin said that the survival rate for those who suffer a cardiac arrest outside of a healthcare setting is less than 12%.

“It is just an amazing result that he survived and is doing well. The paramedics were so efficient”.

There were a number of incredible occurrences that took place that day that brought the three men together, starting with a perfectly poured pint of Guinness!

“I was about to sit down and watch the match,” explained Dr Shinkwin. “I poured myself a pint of Guinness and I said to my wife: 'Isn't that a beautiful pint'. Next thing there was a knock at the door from my son-in-law. I just ran across the road”.

In a twist of fate, Professor Linnane should have already been seated in the Gaelic Grounds for the match. Close to the stadium he realised there was an issue accessing his tickets on his phone.

“We turned around to go home to print them, and back where we were 30 seconds earlier I saw someone underneath a car on the footpath, I actually thought he was fixing the car. As I got closer you could see immediately it was an elderly man that had collapsed. I pulled him out from under the car. I could see he wasn't responding at all," he recalled.

“He would give an occasional gasp every 30 seconds. He was purple and pale and there were no signs of life apart from the odd gasp. I knew immediately he was in cardiac arrest. I started straight away doing chest compressions and called for help”.

One of the men who came to his assistance was veterinarian Declan Gill who echoed the sentiment that Mr Healy was saved thanks to the team effort.

“Every team needs a captain and Barry was ours. We just did what he told us. You need to be confident and get stuck in during those kinds of situations,” he said.

In another twist of fate, Declan decided to head into the match with his son after the scary incident and found himself in the middle of another medical emergency.

“During the second half a hand went up in the air, someone had collapsed. So I said I might as well go down and see if I can help.

“A man was there with his nephew who was having a seizure. He was back up again shortly. I just said to myself 'what kind of day is this’?”.

Professor Linnane was quick to praise the “top-class care” that Mr Healy received at University Hospital Limerick following the incident.

“We gave him a chance but they gave him the interventions and treatment he needed. He got top, top-class care. That is what really gave him the positive outcome”.

Mr Healy said he was “absolutely delighted” to hear that the three men had received the award. He said he “owed them a lot”.
The Adare man spent some time in hospital after his ordeal but he is now almost back to his “normal self”.

“I am much better than I thought I would be at this stage. I can't believe it really. It is a miracle!”.

The Limerick Person of the Month awards are supported by media agency Southern, The Clayton Hotel and the Limerick Leader/Limerick Live.