Teenager reunites with ambulance crews who saved her life

Chloe Oakley-Mudge, 19, collapsed at her home in Fen Drayton in August 2024. Her mum, Sarah, immediately dialled 999 and began CPR.

Paramedic Rob Marland and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Natania Newman-Bell were on scene just five minutes after the 999 call was made. They were quickly joined by EMTs Rachael Orchard and Dale Browne, along with operations manager Adam Bright.

Medics from an East Anglian Air Ambulance response car also provided critical support.

Chloe was rushed to Addenbrooke's Hospital, where she suffered four further cardiac arrests. Less than 48 hours later, she was transferred to Royal Papworth Hospital and fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a device designed to deliver life-saving shocks if it detects an abnormal heart rhythm.

Chloe said: "When I woke up in hospital, I had no idea what had happened. I was wondering why I was there, and what all the fuss was about. When I found out I had collapsed and gone into cardiac arrest, I realised how lucky I am to still be alive and I wanted to thank the ambulance crews for their amazing work."

Chloe has made a remarkable recovery and is preparing to study at the University of Lincoln this autumn. Earlier this month, Chloe, along with her mum Sarah and brother Nathan, met the EEAST crews at Huntingdon ambulance station to express their gratitude.

Sarah Oakley-Mudge said: "I will never forget that day last August when Chloe collapsed without warning in front of me. It was every parent's worst nightmare. I'm so thankful I had been trained in CPR — I never imagined I'd need to use it, and certainly not on my own teenage daughter. The ambulance crews and air ambulance medics were simply incredible. Their swift and expert care that night got Chloe to hospital and gave her the chance to recover fully.

"From the bottom of our hearts, we're deeply grateful to everyone involved — including the hospital staff — for saving Chloe's life. This experience has shown me just how vital CPR training is. It gave me something to do in those critical moments before help arrived — and it gave Chloe a chance”.

Adam Bright, Leading Operations Manager at EEAST, said: "It was great to meet Chloe and her mum Sarah again, and to see the remarkable recovery Chloe has made. All of us who responded to her cardiac arrest last August remember that night. Incidents like this are thankfully very rare, but the importance of starting CPR as quickly as possible cannot be overstated. I am incredibly proud of the teamwork and professionalism demonstrated by our ambulance crews and critical care paramedics that evening."

Every year, EEAST supports the Resuscitation Council UK's 'Restart a Heart' campaign, which aims to help more people learn CPR and increase the number of people surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. More details about the campaign, and a guide on how to perform CPR, can be found on their website.

Photo caption: Chloe Oakley-Mudge (third from left) with brother Nathan and mum Sarah, and EEAST medics Adam Bright, Natania Newman-Bell, Rob Marland, Dale Browne and Rachael Orchard at Huntingdon ambulance station.