By Dominique Tassell
Local Kerrie Rubie visited Queensland Ambulance Services (QAS) in Warwick to thank the people who she credits with saving her life a year ago.
On what she called her “re-birth day”, Kerrie and her family visited QAS on Percy Street.
A year ago, Kerrie went into cardiac arrest at her home in Junabee.
She had to be shocked six times, with QAS officers crediting her young age and the CPR performed by her husband and son as contributing to her surviving the incident.
Lifeflight were responsible for getting Kerrie to Brisbane, and she says she’s yet to meet up with them and thank them but was planning to later this week.
She was able to thank Danielle Almond and Kerrin Delaney from QAS in Warwick in person, and facetimed with Eminee Camplin who has since relocated to Cairns.
Kerrie sent her “a big virtual hug”.
Kerrie doesn’t remember any of her experience, and did joke she wouldn’t have minded remembering the flight.
She says doctors haven’t found the cause of her cardiac arrest, and say her heart has returned to its previous healthy state.
It was expected that she’d be in a coma for a few days after the incident, but she was awake the next morning.
QAS say the efforts of Kerrie’s family made a huge difference, and highlight how important it is for everyone to know CPR.
Kerrie’s husband, Brent, did a first aid course at work “years and years ago”, and had only had his arm out of a sling for a few weeks after injuring it prior to Kerrie’s cardiac arrest.
He said the adrenaline got him through it, and at the time he thought he could go on forever.
Their son, Jaymin, hadn’t taken a lesson prior to Kerrie’s cardiac arrest, but took his first one two weeks afterwards.
QAS urges locals to go get their CPR training, as it can make a huge difference in these situations.
