Tom Lockyer of Luton Town attends the Hatters vs. Bournemouth match at the same stadium where he was saved.
Tom Lockyer, a player for Luton Town, watched his team play Bournemouth last night and made a trip back to the stadium where his life was saved.
The game was postponed after Lockyer passed out on the field and suffered a cardiac arrest. The 29-year-old captain was the honored guest.
Luton Town and AFC Bournemouth football supporters banded together to raise money and awareness for the British Heart Foundation’s life-saving research as well as CPR awareness. At the Vitality Stadium, he witnessed his team defeat Bournemouth 4-3 in the Premier League.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Bournemouth Heart Club charity received donations from the supporters clubs during halftime, with £1,268 coming from the Luton Town Supporters’ Trust and £750 from The Cherries Trust.
In an act of gratitude to the medical team for their tireless efforts to save Tom’s life, fans at the game broke into spontaneous applause in the 59th minute.
The proud new father, who plays defense for the Hatters, has an implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to help control his irregular heartbeats.
“It was emotional to be here tonight, especially considering that I almost died in this stadium only three months ago,” Tom Lockyer said. I will always be grateful to the medical team for quickly administering CPR and defibrillation; without a doubt, their efforts saved my life and allowed me to start my new life as a father.
Heart health information was included in the match program, and supporters saw a video of Tom urging them to learn CPR by using the BHF’s free online resource, RevivR.
“It is incredible that Tom was able to attend the stadium where his life was saved thanks to the prompt actions of medical staff that day,” stated Dr. Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation.
We have the utmost gratitude for the clubs and supporters who have contributed significantly to fund research on heart disease that could save lives.
The bright side is that something positive will have resulted from such a terrifying encounter. Like Tom, our football team is urging all supporters to take a few minutes to learn CPR because it could save a life. It’s terrible to think that someone could have gone into cardiac arrest anywhere in the nation during our game.
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