Jesper had a cardiac arrest – was saved by the sons

Every day around 20 people in Sweden suffer cardiac arrest and most do not survive. But when Jesper Stål suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in September, he was saved by his sons. In Nyhetsmorgon, he and his 13-year-old son Otto talk about the dramatic day, and it all started with a phone call.

– My mother called and said that I needed to go downstairs and look after my brother Tilo, because my father was feeling really bad, Otto says and continues:

– I didn’t realize how serious it was, but when I was halfway down the stairs, my brother called for help. Then I saw that dad is lying on the floor unconscious. I run down.

Jesper was pinned between a chair and a table and it was difficult to get him out. But the brothers finally succeeded, and with the help of the 112 staff, they started cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

– We turned him over and put his hands on his stomach, stretched out his arms and used our body weight to do compressions on his chest. The man at 112 told us to count out loud so he could hear what beat we were pushing. He said if we should speed up or slow down.

Nurse: You are a hero

While they were waiting for the ambulance, they were also helped by both friends and an SMS lifeguard who received a notification in their app that someone had a cardiac arrest nearby.

– She came in and took over, says Otto.

Anette Nord, a nurse at the Swedish CPR Council, tells Nyhetsmorgon that the brothers’ efforts were decisive.

– What a hero you are, without you Jesper would not be sitting here today. Every minute the start is delayed reduces the chance of survival by 10 percent. The victim is completely dependent on someone immediately starting CPR, she tells Otto, adding:

– I am very proud of what you have done.

That’s how Jesper feels today

Jesper does not remember the week before the cardiac arrest and was sedated several days after. But today he feels almost as normal again, just weeks after the cardiac arrest.

– I feel better than you can expect, I just have a little pain in my sternum still.

This summer he noticed that it was hard to run, but just thought it was due to age. Otherwise, there was no premonition of what was about to happen.

– People who met me the day before say that I was happy and positive, but then it narrowed.

The incident is a trauma for both Jesper and his sons, who received help to process what they had been through. Today, Otto is proud that he was able to help his father.

– It feels strange to say that I have saved a life. But it feels good that I changed what could have happened, he says and urges more people to become SMS lifeguards and attend CPR training.