One swim turned into a fight to save a life at Tameside Wellness Centre in Denton.
Staff had to force their way into a locked cubicle on 10 April to reach 67-year-old Hing Fai Ko after he collapsed in the changing room. They used a defibrillator on him before paramedics arrived.
Ko, who has since recovered after surgery, said their “quick actions made a difference”.
He joined staff from Tameside Wellness Centre live in the studio on BBC Radio Manchester and told them: “thank you so much for saving my life”.
Centre manager Anthony Worthington said he received a call that someone had fallen in the changing room inside a locked cubicle.
He said he “didn’t know what was going on” but staff knew they had to act as quickly as they could after finding Ko on the floor and unresponsive.
“As soon as we opened that door we could see ‘there’s a serious problem here’ and training just kicked in,” he said.
Lifeguards at the centre in Tameside, Greater Manchester, train every month to use techniques like CPR and other first aid.
Worthington performed CPR while Harry Smith brought a defibrillator and put the pads on.
Smith said it was “scary at first” but he stayed focused because of the training he had received.
Ko’s daughter Lisa said she was shopping when she was told her father had suffered a cardiac arrested and was “so shocked”.
“We are really grateful they helped to save my father’s live,” she said.
Ko said he was feeling better after recovering from the “scary” experience, which he had no memory of.
He told staff: “I would not be here without you, thank your for giving me a second chance.
“Because of you I can stay with my family, I can continue my life with my wife and daughter, and my grandchild, and enjoy family time.
“I will always remember your kindness and help.”
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