A woman has been reunited with the strangers who saved her life after she collapsed in cardiac arrest along the Brisbane River.
Kaley Koppa was almost 10km into her morning run when she suddenly slumped over on a bench, unaware she had a genetic heart disease.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Strangers save Brisbane runner’s life with defibrillator
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The fit and healthy 43-year-old’s face turned blue, and she was clinically dead for several minutes.
A couple on their morning stroll had the sense to stop and call triple-0.
“Her face is blue. I didn’t know she was that bad. She’s just saying she’s not breathing,” a good Samaritan said during the emergency call.
Before paramedics arrived, strangers performed CPR and delivered a life-saving shock using a defibrillator rushed over by staff from the Star casino.
“I pressed the button, had everyone stand back. We shocked her once,” one of the rescuers said.
It was the first time he had used the defibrillator.
A year on from the life-threatening incident, Koppa used World Restart a Heart Day to raise awareness about the importance of bystander CPR.
“These are people that have never met me in their life. I didn’t know who they were and they came and they helped,” she said.
Every year, more than 32,000 Australians suffer a cardiac arrest.
Only 10 per cent survive if it happens outside a hospital.
“Everything just lined up so perfectly. It’s not too often that that happens,” Koppa said.
