Nurse backs CPR skills after Wembley fan collapse
SuppliedA nurse who revived a fellow football fan who collapsed at Wembley has urged others "to learn CPR" in the hope of saving more lives.
Brian Soulsby, who attended Saturday's Championship play-off final with his family, spotted "someone in distress" as the crowd celebrated Sunderland's first goal.
Mr Soulsby, who works as a nurse practitioner at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust, said: "I've never preformed CPR in my clinical practice role in over 20 years but I'm very glad I had the training."
The man who collapsed, who is aged in his early 20s, was admitted to hospital and is continuing to recover.
In a voice note, shared with BBC Radio Newcastle, Callum said he could not put into words how grateful he was to those who had saved his life.
"Things could have been drastically different if it wasn’t for the impromptu heroes in red and white," he said.
Callum said there was no way he could have known he would need CPR before going to the match, and said it highlighted why more people should learn the "invaluable" technique.
Getty ImagesThe match between the Black Cats and Sheffield United started at 15:01 BST to highlight the campaign Every Minute Matters.
Mr Soulsby, who is also a coach at junior football team Wearside FC, said he had recently attended first aid training.
"I can't stress enough how important it is to be up to date with CPR training," he said.
"It gave me the knowledge, skills and confidence to perform CPR without hesitating."
Mr Soulsby said the man was revived once using CPR but he suffered another cardiac arrest.
A defibrillator, which was delivered by a medic at the scene, helped to bring him back again.
Dr Shaz Wahid, executive medical director at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust, said: "Brian proved that learning how to do CPR can make the difference in someone's survival.
"It doesn't take long to learn, but it will give you the knowledge you need and the confidence, which could prove life saving."
More than 35,000 Sunderland AFC fans packed Wembley to see the Black Cats secure their place in the Premier League after an eight-year absence.
The final score was 2-1 after a Tommy Watson goal in 95th minute.