Vic Taylor presents flowers to Dr Bev Watkins, who came to his aid after he suffered a heart attack while on holiday in Devon
Vic Taylor believes his heart stopped beating at the right time.
The 70-year-old actually died of a massive heart attack while he was out shopping in Devon. But luckily for Vic, cardiac ward doctor Bev Watkins was in the shopping centre centre at the time.
She dropped her bags and went to Vic's aid. Bev gave him cardiac repression and Vic was dead for six minutes before his heart began to beat again.
He recalls nothing of the July 3 afternoon after the attack, as he did not wake up until four days later in Torbay Hospital.
He said: "I was out of this world for four days. Suddenly, it went white - completely blank. Next thing I remember is seeing loads of tubes coming out of me four days later.
"As I was dead for six minutes, doctors thought there may have been brain damage."
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Although Vic is distressed about suffering the attack, he believes the timing could not have been better. "If the attack happened minutes earlier, my wife Anne and I would have both lost our lives while driving on the A30.
"Five minutes later I may not have been near that doctor. It is luckier than winning the rollover in the lottery.
"I cannot sing Dr Bev Watkins' praises enough - she's my guardian angel. Also, I was only six miles from a hospital with an excellent cardiac unit that could handle it. It was a complete miracle."
Bev's husband Christopher alerted her to Vic's fall. "Vic wasn't alert and wouldn't respond when I reached him," she said. "His heart had stopped."
Bev performed cardiac repression to maintain Vic's brain circulation until paramedics arrived with a defibrillator.
Bev is modest about her role, but does admit without her intervention, it would have been difficult to save him.
"It was a big teamwork effort - with a first-aider, fire officer and paramedic," she said. "That is what we do for a living."
Vic's wife Anne was in another part of the shopping centre and saw two paramedics rushing past. Then, her name was called on the loud speaker.
She is overwhelmed with gratitude towards Bev. "There are no gifts to repay what she has done. She is remarkable."
"She went to Vic's aid and brought him back to life," she said.
The father-of-two arrived home in Wanborough on July 19 after spending about a week in Torbay Hospital
Doctors inserted a stent to start the flow of blood again.
He said that the kindness of the staff was unforgettable.
"They couldn't do enough for us and answered every question I had. The whole hospital was wonderful. Everyone was so kind."
Vic - an auto-parts delivery driver - is currently undergoing rehabilitation treatment at the Great Western Hospital.
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