A 20-YEAR-OLD university student from Wadebridge has thanked medics who saved his life after he collapsed on a students' union dancefloor with a heart attack.
James Cory fell ill during a night out at Trinity St David University, Carmarthen.
He was treated by staff and police before two St John Ambulance medics on duty in the town centre restarted his heart, and he was taken to hospital.
"I'll be forever grateful,'' said Mr Cory, who was still undergoing tests this week.
"I'm young, I keep fit and I never contemplated that something like this could happen to me"
The sports student was with friends at the university's students' union when he collapsed in the early hours of Sunday, September 30.
An ambulance was called and he was taken outside by the security team.
Andrew King, 27, said he and fellow St John Cymru Wales volunteer Mathew Jones, 21, who were on duty in the town centre, arrived to find door staff and a police officer performing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on Mr Cory.
"We found he was in full cardiac arrest and wasn't breathing,'' said Mr King.
"I don't remember anything at all about what happened,'' said Mr Cory.
"I owe my life to Andy and Mathew.''
The student said he had had no idea that he was ill.
Student union president Mattias Eken praised the quick-thinking actions of staff at the venue before paramedics arrived.
Mr Eken said: "Had they not done CPR, we could have been dealing with a much worse situation.''
Mr Cory was still in hospital this week undergoing tests to discover the cause of the cardiac arrest.
The frequency of cardiac arrests among young people was highlighted when Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch at Tottenham's White Hart Lane during an FA Cup quarter-final in March.
