FOR Horsham’s Finn family, the life of John Finn will be the best Christmas present they have ever received.
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Mr Finn suffered a heart attack and was clinically dead for 20 minutes, but is alive to enjoy Christmas with his loved ones thanks to the quick work of his family and paramedics.
His daughter Alana arrived home early from work on the day it happened.
"My father said he was going to have a lie down. He went to his bedroom and I heard a noise and went to his room and found him laying on the floor and gasping for air,’’ she said.
Mr Finn’s wife Marg relayed instructions from the triple zero operator while Alana and her sister Shona performed CPR.
‘‘Alana and I were screaming and yelling out and saying ‘come on John’, but we settled down and did what we had to do without even thinking about it,’’ Mrs Finn said.
Paramedics arrived and went to work resuscitating Mr Finn.
‘‘His heart had stopped. We had a paramedic come to us and say ‘it’s not looking good’. We were just pretty much praying and chanting the same things over and over again, like ‘come on dad’ and I was praying,’’ Mrs Finn said.
After paramedics restarted his heart and stabilised Mr Finn, he was taken to Wimmera Base Hospital before being flown by helicopter to Geelong.
Throughout the 12 days he spent in Geelong, the family provided crucial support to each other and Mr Finn, who gradually regained consciousness.
Mrs Finn said it was a timely reminder for anyone experiencing symptoms to visit a doctor.
She said Mr Finn had experienced shortness of breath, tightness in his chest, forgetfulness and a painful sensation in his arm.
‘‘When he got to hospital the doctor asked why he hadn’t had any check-ups,’’ she said.
‘‘The whole thing could have been avoided.’’
Medical staff praised the effort of the Finns, who acted quickly and calmly to perform effective CPR.
Alana, a teacher, believes the incident provides a strong case for more CPR education in schools.
Mrs Finn said prayers from family and friends were crucial during her husband’s recovery.