'Because of you, I get to see my kids grow up and to wake up with my wife. You are my heroes'
A Co Meath football coach who collapsed with a sudden cardiac arrest after a gym session, has praised the ‘heroes’ who saved his life – including a first responder who raced to his aid from a supermarket.
Gordon Flood, 48, ran marathons and signed up for triathlons until his life was upended in the car park of his local gym.
As he was reunited with Nicola Fanning, the voluntary first responder who left her shopping trolley mid-aisle, he said: “I don't remember feeling anything wrong.
“There was no chest pain, no warning, no dramatic moment where I clutched my heart like they do in films.”
The father-of-three from Trim relived his horrific experience in October 2024 on today’s (Oct 16) ‘Restart a Heart Day’ – as he and the Irish Heart Foundation urged the public to learn the steps of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
On the morning of his cardiac arrest, Gordon arrived at The Fundamental Body gym and after completing part of his workout, headed outside for a short run.
He said he was later told that he bent over, stood back up and held on to a parked car before collapsing.
Mum-of-four Nicola, who works in a senior role with An Post and is a member of Trim Community First Responders, was in a supermarket two minutes away.
“I was doing my food shopping when the ‘phone app went off and I saw it was a cardiac arrest,” she recalls.
“I just remember grabbing my trolley, shoving it towards a member of staff and saying ‘there’s an emergency, I’ll be back’.
“When I got there, I knew who it was when I saw him on the ground.”
She praised the ‘phenomenal’ actions of gym members who had already started CPR and given Gordon two shocks from an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
She took over chest compressions and administered a further three shocks until Gordon’s pulse returned.
“For me, it was the chain of survival, involving the speed of response, the beginning of CPR and using the AED, that made the difference, for him to get back to his wife and his three boys, it’s so important.”
Gordon was later diagnosed with cardiac sarcoidosis, a rare inflammatory disease affecting the heart muscle, and now wears an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) – which shocked him during a monitored treadmill exercise session in January.
“I got a second chance, and I’d ask (the public) please, take the time to learn CPR. It only takes a few minutes, but it could be the difference between life and death.”
Paying tribute to Nicola and the team which brought him back to life, he said: “Because of you, I get to see my kids grow up and to wake up with my wife. You are my heroes.”
He has completed training and organised courses for 50 coaches and assistant coaches at his beloved Trim Celtic AFC.
Last year in Ireland, CPR was attempted in over 2,700 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.
Brigid Sinnott, Resuscitation Manager with the Irish Heart Foundation, said: “We all have the power to save a life. We know that a total of 70% of these happen in the home.
“If you have been taught CPR, you are ten times more likely to respond appropriately in an emergency. We urge every community to establish a first responder group, this ensures that the chain of survival is strong across all communities in Ireland.
“In the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest report of 2025 168 people received their first shock by a community first responder.
“One of the key goals of the Irish Heart Foundation is to help save lives from cardiac arrest through CPR training. The more people who know CPR the more lives can be saved.”
*To find out the steps of CPR and where courses take place, visit: irishheart.ie/what-is-cpr