We would love to be able to thank them - everyone - the paramedics, the helicopter crew and all the staff at the hospital.
- Carolyn Edwards
An Allansford woman has praised the lifesaving efforts of Ambulance Victoria paramedics.
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In February this year Dale Edwards drove himself to South West Healthcare's Warrnambool Base Hospital.
The truck driver told his wife Carolyn he wasn't feeling well.
She was shocked when she received a call hours later advising her that her husband was being rushed to Geelong hospital after suffering a heart attack.
Mrs Edwards was advised her husband, who is now 59, was lucky to survive.
"He had two stents put in and was able to come home less than a week later," she said.
Mrs Edwards and her husband were dropped home by their son Anthony, who had to return to work.
She had no idea of the situation she would soon find herself in.
"We had been home for about three hours and he was sitting on the couch joking around," she said.
"He suddenly went quiet and stopped breathing."
Mr Edwards had suffered another heart attack.
Mrs Edwards called Triple-0 and followed the operator's instructions on how to administer CPR.
"The ambulance arrived in 10 to 15 minutes and took over CPR," Mrs Edwards said.
At one point, the paramedics feared that Mr Edwards may never regain consciousness.
But they persisted and Mr Edwards was flown to the Geelong hospital for the second time in the space of a week.
Mrs Edwards was told that her husband may have suffered from severe brain damage as a result of a lack of oxygen.
At one point she thought she might have to make the heartbreaking decision to turn off his life support.
However, Mrs Edwards burst into tears when she received a call from the Geelong hospital and a nurse told her "there's someone here who wants to talk to you".
She said it was a miracle her husband had survived and has just about returned to his "usual self".
If anything he is "bored and wants to get back to work", Mrs Edwards said.
He has been a truck driver for more than three decades and would love to get back behind the wheel.
However, it's not clear whether he will get the all clear to return to the job he loves.
Mrs Edwards said she wanted to thank the paramedics who saved her husband's life.
"We would love to be able to thank them - everyone - the paramedics, the helicopter crew and all the staff at the hospital," she said.
Mrs Edwards said her husband had a pacemaker and a defibrillator implanted after the second attack.
He also underwent three months of dialysis due to damage caused to his kidneys.
Mrs Edwards encouraged people to ensure they undergo regular health checks.
She said her husband was fit and healthy, even pulling on a jumper to play with his son Anthony in a reserves game for Caramut last year.
"Caramut was short of players and Anthony asked him to play," Mrs Edwards said.
She has also recommended people learn how to perform CPR.
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