Special thanks to lifesavers

A Yinnar man owes his life to the skills of three paramedics who treated him after he suffered a massive heart attack while driving near Yarragon in April.

Roy Franklin was driving on the Princes Highway on April 10 near the intersection with Roberts Rd when he felt a painful stabbing sensation in his chest.

He was able to call triple zero and within seven minutes he was relieved to see an ambulance arriving from Warragul with Jaclyn Bray and Simon McBain on board.

Quickly realising the gravity of Roy’s situation, they called for a MICA paramedic, with Elisha Albert arriving on the scene less than 20 minutes later from Morwell.

While Roy was conscious, his situation was life threatening and there was only one course of action.  With Simon driving and Jaclyn and Elisha caring for him in the back of the ambulance under an hour later they were at Monash Hospital, Clayton.

Roy recalls little of that trip although he does remember seeing lots of traffic, particularly trucks.  Elisha says it was the best course of action as Monash was the only hospital that could provide immediate cardiac care.

That day Roy had a stent inserted to open blocked arteries.  It was a short-term strategy to ensure Roy was well enough for a quadruple bypass, performed a few weeks later.

Roy was so grateful for their care he made a special trip to the Warragul Ambulance Station on Saturday to present boxes of chocolates all round.  The Cadbury Favourites choice wasn’t lost on anyone at the reunion meeting – Jaclyn, Elisha and Simon are his favourite people.

In an emotional meeting, Roy put it simply - “they saved my life.”

He doesn’t recall a lot of what happened that day but he does remember hearing the sirens and seeing the ambulance heading up the road from Warragul and he remembers feeling their care all the way to Monash.

Elisha says it was touch and go, with Roy’s condition rapidly deteriorating as they rushed to Monash.

Elisha has been a MICA paramedic for about 10 years, but it was the beginning of Jaclyn’s career.  She was just two months into her 12-month graduate year.

Roy describes the trio as special people.  “Ambulance officers don’t get the recognition they should and even get abused sometimes.

“They do shift work and work hard. They even deserve to be paid more than they are. I wouldn’t be standing here now without them.”

Now in his rehabilitation stage, Roy is walking two kilometres a day and sticking to a prescribed exercise program.

A farmer most of his life, Roy sold his farm three days before his heart attack. “Maybe it was the stress of the sale that brought on the heart attack who knows?”

Roy celebrated his 74th birthday on June 4. “Every birthday is going to be a bonus.  I am lucky to be alive.”