Carrie Morgan said goodnight to her son Jamie, 23, joking to not stay up too late playing video games on June 2.
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A few hours later she heard strange noises coming from his room in Strathfieldsaye and found him having what looked like a seizure in bed.
She told her 20-year-old daughter, Tabitha, to call the ambulance and immediately started CPR, with a triple zero operator telling her he was in cardiac arrest.
For 15 minutes - which "seemed like forever" to his mum - she kept up the CPR until paramedics arrived take over and transfer him to hospital.
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Jamie Morgan went in to cardiac arrest another 11 times that night.
"It wasn't looking good. At the hospital we were told he wouldn't make it," Ms Morgan said. "Jamie's heart stopped 11 times that day. It's all a horrific blur."
Off machine on his 23rd birthday
While Jamie was in hospital, a team of specialists from Alfred Health heard about the case and placed him on a portable heart-lung device known as an Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation machine (ECMO).
He spent five days on the machine before he could breathe by himself, on his 23rd birthday, after which he was transferred to the Alfred Hospital, where he stayed on life support for a week in the intensive care unit and intensive cardiac ward.
Jamie has since had a stent inserted in his heart and is now on regular heart medication.
He said he feels "great", back to his "usual self" and is thankful for the paramedics who helped save his life.
On July 29 he was reunited with them at the Bendigo ambulance station.
'He's a fighter'
Ms Morgan said Jamie had amazed everyone with his miraculous recovery.
"Those four paramedics gave him a fighting chance and helped save his life," she said.
"They went above and beyond. Even at the hospital, even though we were their last call of the shift and they were meant to finish up, they stayed with us, kept us informed and checked on us.
"I thank them, from the bottom of my heart, for saving my son's life that awful day. Paramedics are heroes."
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Paramedic Duncan Lever said the incident showed the effectiveness of early CPR.
"Carrie was extremely brave to perform CPR," he said.
"Her work was vital as she was able to buy time for Jamie until we could defibrillate which absolutely increased his chance of survival.
"It's so rewarding to see members of our community thriving after such an experience. Jamie pulling through against the odds is extraordinary.
"He's a fighter."
- According to Ambulance Victoria, about 20 Victorians suffer a cardiac arrest and only one in 10 survive.
- There are three simple steps to save someone's life: Call (Call Triple 000), Push (Perform CPR) and Shock (use an AED if available).
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Jonathon Magrath
Jonathon has been living and working in Bendigo since March 2021, currently working as a general reporter. Contact him on jonathon.magrath@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Jonathon has been living and working in Bendigo since March 2021, currently working as a general reporter. Contact him on jonathon.magrath@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
