The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A man who suffered a heart attack at work is fuelling the drive to get a defibrillator at every branch of the nationwide chain where he works.
Kieran Vertannes (64) fell unwell on his first shift back at Applegreen Service Station after taking a holiday to see his first grandchild in 2019.
He spent three weeks in hospital but has thankfully made a full recovery and returned to his role as supervisor of the Spalding petrol station.
Applegreen has teamed up with The Blood Trust and is looking to raise enough money to have a defibrillator fitted in the more than 100 branches it has nationwide, including the one in Spalding where Kieran had his heart attack.
“I came to work at 10.45am that day and by 11.25am I was in an ambulance,” he said. “We’ve had a few people fall ill while at the petrol station and you never know when you might need something like a defibrillator, though thankfully I didn’t.
“The first I knew of it was a neighbour came in and as I served them they said I looked terrible.
“Others said the same and then I felt like I’d got indigestion.
“When I got a pain down the arm we decided to ring 101 and they told me they thought I was having a heart attack and the ambulance was already on its way.
“The staff at Applegreen were brilliant and helped me before I was taken to Pilgrim Hospital first and then the heart specialist unit at Lincoln.
“What was most scary was that those patients who were next to me in the ward died and I was thinking ‘oh my gosh’ and ‘please don’t take me now, I’ve only just met my new granddaughter’.
“I’ve always been quite a positive and optimistic person but I’m so grateful for the care there and from my family, especially my wife Kerry who is my rock.”
All Applegreen stores are selling cookies for £1, 10p of which goes towards a defibrillator. If you don’t want to buy a cookie, there’s donation boxes in store.
“It’s a great idea,” said Kieran, who lives in Moulton Chapel. “There should be defibrillators in every building.
“We’re all first aid trained here but it could be the difference for somebody.”
