Man's life saved by quick-thinking friends after suddenly collapsing at Northampton Male Voice Choir rehearsal

During a rehearsal of Northampton Male Voice Choir (NMVC) on Tuesday 28 November its Associate Musical Director and chorister, Paul Darnell, suddenly collapsed after a sudden heart arrest.Fortunately, due to the immediate response of members of the choir in providing first aid resuscitative care including the necessary deployment of a defibrillator, Paul had already regained consciousness when the ambulance arrived to rush him to Kettering General Hospital.

The following Monday, Paul had an ICD pacemaker implanted in his chest and he was discharged the next day.

Recovering at home, Paul said “I’m now back home with a bucket load of pills and a supersonic IDC embedded in my chest and I’m hoping to make a gradual return to singing early in the New Year. My wife, Marion and I would like to reiterate how very grateful we are to my friends at NMVC for saving my life and for all the support offered after my “event”.

NMVC Chairman, Mark York, says “we were all extremely shocked to see Paul’s sudden collapse during our rehearsal and I can’t speak highly enough of our First Aid Team on the day for its life-saving actions.

"We’re all so very glad that Paul’s now making a good recovery and we’re looking forward to having him back with us. Without the use of our defibrillator the outcome might not have been so positive. On behalf of NMVC I’d like to thank Paul and Marion for their generous donation of a replacement defibrillator and I strongly recommend all other choirs and similar organisation to invest in one of these life-saving devices.”