A quiet night at home turned into a life-or-death emergency for Mornington Peninsula man Alan when he suddenly collapsed from a cardiac arrest in February.
In a moment of courage, his wife of 33 years, Anita, sprung into action - immediately calling Triple Zero (000) and beginning CPR.
Luckily for Alan and his family, their neighbour Shannon, had the GoodSAM app on her phone and was notified about Alan's critical condition.
Shannon and her two children, Jackson and Charlie, rushed next door, took over CPR and shocked Alan three times with an automated external defibrillator (AED) that was in their family car.
This was the first time Shannon, an off-duty paramedic, had been able to respond to a GoodSAM alert since she downloaded the app in 2018.
A paramedic of 24 years, Shannon said she was glad she was in the right place at the right time.
"It was fantastic to see Alan with no deficits and riding his bike past my house a couple of weeks later. It could have been a very different outcome for him.
"You don't need to be a paramedic to help save a life - any adult can download the GoodSAM app and help people in cardiac arrest in those critical minutes before paramedics arrive.
"It was amazing for my kids to be involved and learn what happened. My daughter Charlie is studying to be a nurse, so she was a great help," she said.
A combined effort between Shannon and the on-duty paramedics managed to restart Alan's heart so it could beat on its own again.
Ambulance Victoria paramedics arrived 10 minutes after Anita's call for help, before taking Alan to Frankston Hospital for follow up care.
"I was in complete shock - there weren't any warning signs. One minute we were talking, next minute Alan was making strange noises and I realised there was something wrong," Anita said.
"I was given instructions over the phone to start CPR and the next thing I knew Shannon appeared and took over, which was brilliant. The paramedics and firefighters arrived shortly after that.
"Alan is almost back to normal life and we welcomed our second grandchild just after he got out of hospital. We are incredibly grateful to Shannon and to everyone who helped.
"The stars aligned."
You don't have to be first-aid qualified or have a medical background to help save a life. To be a GoodSAM responder, you just need to be willing and able to do hands-only CPR, be over 18 years of age and have access to a smartphone.
Minutes matter in cardiac arrests, so when a patient receives CPR and a shock from an AED before paramedics arrive, their chance of survival more than doubles.
Ambulance Victoria's 2023/24 Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry (VACAR) Annual Report highlighted that Victoria has Australia's best cardiac arrest survival rate and the third best in the world.
