Jason’s Story

Without The Air Ambulance Service and the people who stepped in that day, I simply wouldn’t be here.

Jason Falls

Just two weeks before his cardiac arrest, Jason Falls had been enjoying a family holiday in Florida. Back home in Ilkeston, life had quickly returned to normal – work, family life, and helping the eldest son find a new car.

None of them could have imagined how quickly everything would change.

The family had spent the morning visiting car dealerships, excited to tick off an important milestone. After visiting one showroom, they travelled on to Castle Donington to continue their search.

That’s the last thing Jason remembers before waking up in hospital several days later.

It had been raining heavily as the couple and two of their children made their way between the rows of cars. As Jason’s fiancée, Emma, walked slightly ahead, she suddenly heard a scraping sound behind her. Seconds later, their daughter shouted: “Daddy’s fallen over!”

Emma turned to find Jason collapsed on the ground, his umbrella fallen beside him.

Staff at the dealership immediately rushed to help. By chance, a defibrillator had been installed there recently following a similar incident months earlier. Two employees began CPR straight away and used the defibrillator while emergency services were called.

The Air Ambulance Service (TAAS) and a land ambulance were both dispatched.

Jason was without a pulse for around 25 minutes while crews worked to restart his heart. After a prolonged resuscitation, he was stabilised enough to be taken by land ambulance to Royal Derby Hospital.

Jason spent almost three weeks in hospital. After regaining consciousness, tests revealed he had cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, along with scarring on his heart that he had previously been unaware of.

Before he was discharged, surgeons fitted him with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), an internal device designed to detect and correct dangerous heart rhythms.

The recovery process wasn’t just physical. In the months that followed, the 43-year-old found his confidence had taken a knock as he came to terms with how suddenly his life had nearly been cut short.

“For the first few months I didn’t really like being on my own,” he said. “I stayed very close to Emma while I adjusted – we were practically attached at the hip.”

Gradually, normality began to return. Jason has since gone back to work and is once again enjoying the things that matter most – spending time with his family and friends, and following his favourite sport, rugby.

Now, he says the experience has given him a completely different perspective on what matters most.

“I wouldn’t be here without the help I received that day,” he said. “My family could have lost a partner and a dad. I wouldn’t get to see my children grow up or marry my best friend next year.”

Today, Jason hopes sharing his experience will highlight just how vital rapid specialist emergency care and access to public defibrillators can be in saving lives.

“I owe my life to everyone who helped me,” he said. “Without The Air Ambulance Service and the people who stepped in that day, I simply wouldn’t be here.”