Sydney cricketer Kade Sutton is lucky to be alive after suffering a heart attack at training that left him ‘clinically dead’ for five minutes.
The teenage allrounder collapsed during cricket training in late August and is still here today thanks to his coach, Jed Dickson, who had recently finished a first aid course.
‘I was going for a little warm-up with the lads and happened to veer off the path into a bush where I had a seizure-like fit,’ Sutton told News Corp.
‘But really it was a cardiac arrest and I had no pulse, no heart rate or anything. I was clinically dead for about five minutes,’ Sutton said.
‘Luckily my coach Jed Dickson had just done his first aid course so he was all up to date. He knew what to do.
‘He couldn’t really do the breaths because I was foaming at the mouth and I was just purple.
‘He felt for the pulse and knew I was in trouble, so he just went straight for CPR. He brought me back to life. I went into the ambulance and they put me into a coma.
‘It’s a bit emotional now every time I see him. You can’t really repay someone for saving your life so I guess I’ve just got to keep thanking him.’
Kade Sutton is lucky to be alive after suffering a heart attack at cricket training that left him ‘clinically dead’ for five minutes
Sutton was lucky to have his coach Jed Dickson on hand to give him first aid
Dickson, 35, also plays cricket and has known Sutton for many years. He said the entire situation hasn’t sunk in for him, either.
‘You just do the best with the tools you’ve got at the time,’ Dickson said.
‘I was very fortunate at that point that others had put their time and effort into building my tool kit with CPR and first aid.
‘(Saving a life) is something that over time as you process it, it becomes part of your life and it’s really nice that Kade and his family have kept me updated and I’ve been part of their journey as well.
‘They’ve been incredibly generous with their time, not just with me, but everyone in the community.
The talented youngster plans to be back playing cricket again soon
‘It puts a smile on my face every time I see Kado. To see that infectious energy back and to be part of his journey. He’s a fighter.’
Incredibly, Sutton is aiming to be playing cricket again by Christmas.
‘I think my life is cricket,’ he told Seven News.
‘That’s why I’m urging so much to get back to it.’
