Whitby man walks 100 miles despite cardiac arrest minutes from finish line
Joe Plant has been raising money for the British Heart Foundation
Last updated 16th Oct 2021
A Whitby man, who suffered a cardiac arrest just minutes from the finish line of a walking challenge, has finally completed his hundredth mile!
Joe Plant, who's also a North Yorkshire County Councillor, has a heart condition, but worked with health professionals to get through the challenge.
Half a mile from the end, his heart stopped beating, and an internal defibrillator had to deliver 2 electric shocks to save his life.
He's raising money for the British Heart Foundation, who fund research into treatments for heart conditions.
He told Greatest Hits Radio about his collapse, saying: "I was talking to my son, because I had my son and daughter-in-law and grandchildren with me walking at the time. The next thing I remember, I was on the ground and my son was talking to me. I'd come round and he'd put me in the recovery position.
He's hoping to help other people with heart conditions through his fundraising: "Research saved my life, and I've no doubt that research will save lives in the future. It's a massive effort from everybody, and I want to just say a heartfelt love to everybody who's helped me through these last couple of weeks."
If you'd like to donate to Joe's fundraising, you can do so via his Facebook page.
His story comes as fresh efforts are made to encourage us to learn CPR.
Research revealed to mark "Restart a Heart day" shows around a third of UK adults haven't learnt the skills.
It's a skill that saved the life of footballer Christian Eriksen during Euro 2020, when he collapsed on the pitch.
The Resuscitation Council UK says for every minute that a person in cardiac arrest doesn’t receive help, their chance of survival drops by up to 10 per cent.