Valerie owes her life to Chris – now they're on a drive to promote CPR and defibrillators

When Professor Valerie Harwood went into sudden cardiac arrest last year while at Hangdog Climbing Gym in Wollongong, Associate Professor Christopher Patterson sprang into action.

The registered nurse and academic within the University of Wollongong’s (UOW) School of Nursing was at the gym for his son’s ninth birthday party when he noticed someone lying on the floor.

With the help of his mother-in-law, Maria Hamilton, a nurse who was also attending the party, Chris did what he could to help.

“When we got over to Valerie, it was immediately clear she needed urgent first aid,” he said. ”Maria and I introduced ourselves to the first responder and told him we were nurses. There was no pulse present, so I started CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation].

“A staff member of Hangdog was on the phone, calling the ambulance. I continued CPR for I think 15 to 20 minutes until the paramedics arrived and took over. They worked on Valerie for I think another 15 to 20 minutes, at which point they took her to hospital.”

Chris and Maria’s quick response not only saved Valerie’s life but helped her defy the odds and make an extraordinary recovery with no brain injury.

Ahead of World Restart A Heart Day on 16 October, Chris, Maria and Valerie are keen to raise awareness about what to do in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest.

Chris was honoured with the Humanity in Action Award for Health and Safety Leadership at UOW’s 2024 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards in August. It was a special award created in recognition of Chris’s quick-thinking, compassionate and life-saving actions.

Associate Professor Sarah Hamylton, who is Valerie’s partner and works in the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences at UOW, nominated Chris for the award and said his actions had changed the course of their lives.

“Chris’ intervention to begin CPR at a critical moment as Valerie lay on the floor not only saved her life, but also avoided long-term brain injuries that may have resulted from lack of blood circulation around her body for a prolonged period,” she said.

“Not only did Chris administer CPR, he made compassionate judgments in helping our family through a stressful situation. Once I arrived at the gym, he discretely informed me of what happened to Valerie, out of earshot of our sons, and then drove us to hospital.

“We communicated in the days after the incident, and Chris showed the utmost sensitivity, care and humanity.

“My family and I cannot overstate the importance of Chris leadership and kindness in this incredibly tough time.

“The Humanity in Action Award goes beyond acknowledging the immense functional value of Chris’ willingness to step in and take action when Valerie’s life was in danger.”

In most cases, cardiac arrest is unexpected and, according to the GoodSam Program, for every minute a patient doesn’t get chest compressions (CPR), their chance of survival falls by 7 to 10 per cent.

Following the incident, Hangdog owner Brett Baker installed an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) at the gym and at Revolution Laser Arena, which he also owns. An AED is a device designed to analyse the heart rhythm and deliver an electric shock to restore an irregular ventricular heart rhythm to normal.

Valerie, who is based at the University of Sydney and works with colleagues at UOW in the Ngarruwan-Ngadju First Peoples Health and Wellbeing Research Centre, encouraged others to learn about CPR.

“I have trained in CPR myself and completed regular updates. I had never thought it would be me who needed CPR and defibrillation,” she said.

“We need more defibrillators in the community. Both in businesses and publicly available for after-hours access. We need to find ways to increase access and knowledge of locations.

“A sudden cardiac arrest is different to a heart attack. I learnt this in detail when I regained consciousness in ICU a day later.

“For a sudden cardiac arrest, there are minutes to act to save a life and prevent brain injury. This is all the more challenging in non-hospital settings. That’s why learning CPR and how to use a defibrillator is so important. I’ve signed up to GoodSam as a responder and encourage others to do so too.

“The quick action by Chris saved my life and meant that I was able to walk out of hospital one week later alive and without brain injury.

“In the hospital, I remember how often people spoke about the high-quality CPR that I received. I am deeply thankful for what Chris and Maria did that day to save my life.”

Chris said he was thrilled Valerie had recovered and that he was simply in the right place at the right time.

“Meeting and getting to know Valerie and Sarah has been a great outcome of this incident,” he said. ”And together, we all have a new focus on the importance of accessible AEDs. We want to boost awareness and access to AEDs.”

Maria, who was celebrating her grandson’s birthday, has worked as a nurse in hospital emergency departments and said helping to save Valerie’s life emphasised the importance of knowing CPR.

“It is something I will never forget,” she said. ”I have been nursing for many years, spending 10 years in an emergency department, but I had never been involved in resuscitation outside of the hospital setting.

“This incident really made me grateful for my knowledge and the importance of CPR.

“Had there not been anyone present who had trained in CPR or no AED, the outcome would have been different. AED in gyms should be legislated.”