999 Critical Condition: Patient’s family warn cardiac arrest could happen to anyone
The parents of a 38-year-old social worker who tragically died following a cardiac arrest on the M6 and featured in last night’s 999 Critical Condition today spoke of their daughter’s infectious personality and warned that it could happen to anyone.
Lesley Campbell, of Birmingham, was on her way to work in Stoke-on-Trent when her heart stopped while she was on the phone to her twin sister Lisa. She was taken to the University Hospitals of North Midlands’ major trauma centre where Dr Ann-Marie Morris and the team fought to save her life.
Lesley’s story was featured on the hard-hitting Channel 5 documentary filmed at the Royal Stoke University Hospital last night (15 OCT).
Unfortunately, due to the cardiac arrest , Lesley’s brain had been starved of oxygen for a significant period and doctors and her family had to make the difficult decision to switch off her life-support machine.
In the programme Dr Moses Chikwunga, Critical Care consultant, said: “She is a young patient, who had been enjoying life and then suddenly is left in a state where she can’t do anything she used to.”
Today her parents described the “first-class” care provided to their daughter and to the wider family at the time and warned other people it could happen to them.
Her father Donald Campbell, of Tipton, said: “The care Lesley received and the care we received from everyone at the hospital was first class. It was fantastic from the doctors to nurses and even the receptionist Wendy in Critical Care who took us like her own family.”
Barbara Campbell, of Tipton, said: “Lesley was just the best daughter you could ever have. She was kind, generous and the life and soul of the party. She just had an infectious way about her and if she was in the room, everybody would be smiling.”
Mr Campbell added: “Once you had met her, you would never forget her. It will never be the same without her and we miss her every day.”
Lesley had no symptoms or warning signs that she was going to have a cardiac arrest or had a heart condition and following her death experts at Royal Stoke believe she may have had cardiomyopathy.
Both her sister Lisa and her mother have been tested for the condition and while Lisa did not show any signs her mother has since also been diagnosed with the same condition and been told her heart only functions at 10% of what it should.
Mr Campbell said: “She is gone but she leaves a legacy behind and if other people have watched and seen how she died and it can in anyway help others in a similar position by talking about her death we will.”
999 Critical Condition is on on Channel 5 every Thursday at 9pm. Previous episodes are available on demand at My5.