Leamington man who had cardiac arrest at 17 is now national campaign ambassador

A Leamington man who survived a sudden cardiac arrest when he was just 17 has now become a national ambassador for a company’s campaign to promote the lifesaving devices it sells and to raise awareness so that more people can be prepared for these unexpected incidents.

Ben Cullf collapsed during a routine shift at Drayton Manor Theme Park’s hotel in August 2017.

Now 23 years old, Ben is working with CellAED to spread the word about the personal defibrillators it makes and to highlight the fact that cardiac arrests can strike anyone, anywhere at any time.

During his incident, Ben’s colleague Josh Briggs made the 999 call, which was received by West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Thanks to Josh’s calm approach and insight, accurate information was given to the 999 operative, which led to the right emergency service resources being deployed to the incident, and appropriate advice was also provided over the phone to help them treat Ben in the moment.

Ben said: “Seven years on from the incident, I'm still reflecting on the luck I had.

"My outcome was positive, but this is unfortunately very rare.

My work to raise awareness around cardiac arrests began immediately after my own and now with CellAED's help, we can begin tackling the shockingly low survival rates of sudden cardiac arrest in the UK.”

Josh is supporting Ben and CellAED with the campaign.

He said: “Every year, Ben and I meet on the anniversary to reflect on that day.

“The incident was life-changing for us both.

"In that moment, I didn’t think, I just did what came naturally to me and I am so glad I did.

"It is so important to make people aware that this can happen to anyone, anywhere at any time and that acting fast is key.

"Getting CPR training and understanding how to use a defibrillator is so simple and can save a life.”

https://cellaed.io/uk