Woman searches for the ‘guardian angel’ who saved her life after she had a sudden heart attack at the side of the A27
‘Grateful’ Suzanne Bell, from Bordon, officially died for 15 minutes when she suffered a cardiac arrest after getting out of her car. Unknown to Suzanne, who was 52 at the time, she had acquired long QT syndrome – a condition that can cause fast, chaotic heartbeats. While driving on the Portsbridge slip road into Hilsea the mum-of-five was forced to brake quickly.
A broken-down vehicle ahead caused a learner driver in front to brake sharply, but the car behind Suzanne wasn’t able to stop in time and hit her.
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In 2011 Suzanne Bell suffered a sudden cardiac arrest after an accident in Hilsea. She was dead for 15 minutes but a Spanish doctor who was visiting Portsmouth gave her CPR at the side of the road and saved her life. Suzanne wants to thank her rescuer Pictured: Suzanne Bell at her home in Bordon on Tuesday 12th April 2022 Picture: Habibur Rahman
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According to witnesses, Suzanne got out of the car to check for damage and promptly ‘dropped dead’ at the side of the road.
Now, 10 years later has shared her story with The News in the hopes of tracking down her saviour who performed CPR on her. The 62-year-old said: ‘I don’t remember what happened at all – all I know is what witnesses and the paramedics told my family.
In 2011 Suzanne Bell suffered a sudden cardiac arrest after an accident in Hilsea.
She was dead for 15 minutes but a Spanish doctor who was visiting Portsmouth gave her CPR at the side of the road and saved her life. Suzanne wants to thank her rescuer Pictured: Suzanne Bell at her home in Bordon on Tuesday 12th April 2022 Picture: Habibur Rahman
‘I lost the 10 days before and after as well. ‘But I am so grateful to the man who stopped to help me that day, I wouldn’t be here without him.
I wouldn’t have met all my grandchildren.’ Suzanne was told her rescuer on December 27, 2011 was a Spanish neurologist who was staying with his daughter near Portsmouth for Christmas. He performed CPR until the paramedics arrived – after ‘battling’ their way through heavy traffic – and she was then taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham where she spent five days in a coma in intensive care.
After coming round from the coma she moved to the cardiac ward and was discharged around two weeks later, although it took her a year to properly recover. The former truck driver said: ‘I would desperately love to find this man who saved my life. ‘I’ve been thinking about it all these years but I only just considered going to a newspaper to try to find him.’
At the time of the incident The News reported how a woman was ‘seriously ill’ in hospital after a black Hyundai 4×4 collided with a silver Citroen.
Since the heart attack and her diagnosis of long QT syndrome Suzanne is living with a range of health conditions but takes ‘great joy’ in spending time with her five children and 11 grandchildren.
If anyone has any information on who the saviour could have been please get in touch via [email protected]