Gran Carol Brothers whose heart stopped beating for 45 minutes has amazed medics with her recovery.

Doctors at the Royal United Hospital, Bath, thought there was no hope for Mrs Brothers, 63, of Easterton and her family agreed for medication to be withdrawn so she could die peacefully.

But, to the astonishment of everyone, three days later Mrs Brothers rallied and she was discharged from hospital three weeks later.

Mrs Brothers met the crew of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance and Wiltshire Police helicopter who treated her before she was flown to the RUH after she suffered a cardiac arrest on February 1.

She was returning to her home in Oak Lane with her daughter, Maxine Dick-inson, after a shopping trip when she collapsed.

Mrs Dickinson, 43, phoned 999 and following instructions from the ambulance telephone operator began CPR on her mother until neighbours, Brian and Doris Murray and Sue Amann, came to assist.

A community first responder arrived shortly afterwards and did CPR and used a defibrillator on Mrs Brothers. A paramedic in a car and an ambulance also arrived as did the Wiltshire Air Ambulance and took over.

Air ambulance crew Matt Baskerville, paramedic, PC Kev Reed, police observer, and George Lawrence, pilot, did CPR and Mr Baskerville intubated Mrs Brothers and used a defibrillator on her.

The Great Western Air Ambulance, based in Filton near Bristol, sent a critical care doctor to the scene who sedated Mrs Brothers. It was 45 minutes after she suffered the arrest that her heart started beating.

The Wiltshire Air Ambul-ance flew her to the RUH where she went into the Critical Care Unit. She did not regain consciousness and three days later her family was told the outlook was bleak.

Mrs Dickinson, of Ryeleaze, Potterne, said: “The doctors called us in to say there was minimal brain activity and the kindest thing to do would be to withdraw medications.

“They said she wasn’t going to pull through and we agreed to put her on the pathway to die.”

Mrs Brothers’ distraught family including her husband of 46 years, Dave, had reconciled themselves to the fact she was not going to survive.

But three days after that a nursing auxiliary alerted the doctors when Mrs Brothers opened her eyes.

Mrs Dickinson said: “I was visiting that afternoon and the doctor called me to a side room and said ‘I don’t know how to tell you this but your mum is not going to die. We have got to reverse the decision.’

“I just broke down in tears. I couldn’t believe it. It was absolutely fantastic news.

“The doctors said they would try and answer my questions but they said it was such a rarity.

“I went to see mum and she spoke three words in a faint whisper. She said ‘I’m coming home.’ That was the first time she hadspoken since she was brought into the hospital.”

Mrs Dickinson told her father the good news when she returned home that evening. Mr Brothers, 64, and a retired building hire worker, said: “I couldn’t get my head around it when Maxine told me.

“The previous night I had been in tears thinking Carol was going to die.”

Mrs Brothers, a retired poultry worker, was discharged on February 28.

She has not suffered any brain damage but has some short-term memory loss, is on medication and is
regaining her strength.

She has had a defibrillator fitted inside her chest.
Mrs Brothers, who also has two sons and eight grandchildren, said: “It hasn’t sunk in, it’s just amazing and thanks to the air ambulance crew, my neighbours and Bath hospital.”

Air ambulance paramedic Mr Baskerville said: “Carol’s recovery is amazing. At the time we didn’t think her chances were very good, 45 minutes is a long time without a heartbeat.

“I tproves what an asset the Wiltshire Air Ambulance is, without people raising the money for it we wouldn’t be able to help patients like Carol.”