Ben Wilson, 31, stunned doctors who told his fiancé the outcome ‘didn’t look good’ for him (Picture: Glen Minkin)
A man miraculously came back to life 50 minutes after his heart stopped beating while at home.
Ben Wilson, 31, suffered a massive heart attack caused by a blood clot at his flat in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, on June 11 last year.
His fiancé Rebekka Holmes, 27, sprung into action and delivered CPR while the couple waited for an ambulance.
She said: ‘When the paramedics came they said it wasn’t looking good. They used a defibrillator to shock him 11 times in 40 minutes before finally getting a heartbeat.
‘But when they got him outside in the garden he went again and they shocked him six times in another ten minutes and brought him back again.
‘They put him in an induced coma straight away to minimise any damage.’
He was taken to Barnsley hospital but transferred to Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, where a stent was put in his heart to open up his artery.
While the operation was a success he was in a coma and his brain swelled two days later and Rebekka was told his time was up.
Rebekka stayed by Ben’s side throughout this time in hospital (Picture: Glen Minikin)
Rebekka believes her love kept Ben alive against the odds (Picture: Glen Minikin)
Doctors warned Ben it ‘didn’t look good for him’ following an unhealthy lifestyle of gaming, smoking, bad diet and drinking cans of Cherry Cola.
On the seventh day in hospital Ben had multiple heart attacks and doctors said once again he would not make it.
Each time Rebekka was told this devastating news she would kiss him and told him how much she loved him.
She said: ‘I stayed by his side the whole time, telling him I loved him.
‘I sang him our song “Dream a Little Dream of Me”, sprayed my perfume on his pillow and put a teddy he bought me, saying “Love you to the moon and back” on it, at the side of him.
‘I believe my love for him brought him through. It is a miracle that he has survived but there are studies that say love and touch can help.
‘Ben has always been a hopeless romantic, getting me flowers and cards and I feel I was repaying him for all the love and affection he has shown me over the seven years we have been together.
‘We are soul mates.’
The couple are now getting married (Picture: Glen Minikin)
Ben’s body also suffered with seizures, kidney failure, and another blod clot that caused problems with his breathing tube.
Ben shocked doctors by standing up and talking after being in a coma for just five weeks.
The first words he uttered coming out of the coma were: ‘Rebekka.’
Rebekka said: ‘This was a beautiful moment.’
After 14 weeks in rehab, and eight-and-a-half months after his heart attack, Ben came home last Thursday.
He is now planning his wedding with fiancé Rebekka and she believes he would not have survived if it wasn’t for her love and loyalty.
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Rebekka added: ‘We are so grateful for the astounding medical expertise of all those at Northern General.
‘I can’t help thinking that if one person had not done their job he might not be here today, but every single person did an absolutely incredible job. We can’t thank them enough.’
Ben said: ‘I am so grateful for everybody to allow me to be here today, and for Rebekka being there. I don’t know what would have happened to me if she had walked away.
‘I have a second chance at life and I’m going to take it with Rebekka by my side.’
Dr Jennifer Hill, Medical Director at the hospital, said: ‘We are delighted to hear that Ben is doing well, and his recovery is all the more remarkable given the seriousness of his condition when he was admitted to hospital.
‘It is testament to the skill of the medical teams here and our colleagues across the health service in the region that he has made such good progress, and of course to Ben’s determination and resilience.’
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