After nearly dying from cardiac arrest, farmer Nigel has a message for othersBy Hayden SmithABC EsperanceTopic:Heart Disease1h ago1 hours agoSun 11 May 2025 at 1:09amNigel and Lynne Norwood have stressed the importance of gaining first aid skills. (ABC News: Hayden Smith)abc.net.au/news/esperance-farmer-cardiac-arrest-at-remote-beach/105264258Link copiedShareShare articleWest Australian farmer Nigel Norwood survived a cardiac arrest thanks to the calm and informed actions of his wife, teenage sons and fellow campers.The 47-year-old father of two came perilously close to losing his life during a camping trip at Alexander Bay, a pristine beach about 100 kilometres from the nearest hospital in Esperance.Now, the Scaddan farmer and his family are urging others to have their heart health checked.Nigel was revived thanks to his sons Liam, left, and Bevan. (Supplied: Lynne Norwood)Lynne Norwood said there had been no obvious signs to suggest that something was wrong with her husband's heart.But about 6pm on January 28 everything happened all at once."We'd been out on the beach all afternoon and we were about to get ready for dinner," she said."Both boys said to me 'Mum, Mum, something's wrong with Dad'."By this stage his head had fallen forward. He was unresponsive."With no mobile coverage, Mrs Norwood ran to access another camping party's Starlink satellite.Alexander Bay is a remote camping destination 100km from Esperance. (ABC News: Emily Smith)Meanwhile 16-year-old Liam, aided by a bystander, performed CPR on his father.The eldest son Bevan, 19, raced to retrieve a St John defibrillator from the toilet block."Everything was going through my mind," Mrs Norwood said."The visual side of things was very confronting."After the third shock from the defibrillator there was "massive elation" when they felt a pulse."Nigel was placed into the recovery position and we could visually see that he'd become responsive and things were starting to significantly improve," Mrs Norwood said."When Nigel was in the recovery position the boys and I were able to communicate and have a cuddle."Heart check-ups vitalMr Norwood was taken to Esperance Hospital and then flown to Fiona Stanley in Perth.After several weeks of recovery he was now feeling "fine"."It's like it never happened," he said.Nigel says his recovery is going well but he's not taking things for granted. (Supplied: Lynne Norwood)His few remaining memories from the dramatic afternoon include catching a herring and walking to the toilet block.However, he said his brush with death had given him a timely reminder to "live in the now".He urged others to "go and have a check-up", acknowledging the specific dangers facing farmers who often worked alone in areas where mobile reception was limited.Mrs Norwood stressed the importance of knowing the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest."We were conveyed to Perth … thinking that Nigel had a heart attack," she said."It wasn't until all the tests came back clear that the medical staff said it was cardiac arrest."When your heart stops you just need to get it going again."The two need to work in conjunction with each other, the CPR and the defib."There are 11,000 St John defibrillators across WA locations. (ABC News: Hayden Smith)She also emphasised the importance of having first-aid training while being aware of the locations of portable St John defibrillators.St John WA paramedic and resuscitation improvement specialist Jason Belcher said it was a remarkable success story."Nigel would unequivocally not have survived without the efforts of family and bystanders," he said."For every minute without chest compressions and an AED [defibrillator] the chance of survival drops by 10 per cent."St John has 11,000 registered defibrillators across Western Australia.'Fresh in my memory'It has been an eventful time for the Norwood family. (Supplied: Lynne Norwood)If it was not for the attention he paid during a recent first-aid course at his Perth high school Liam Norwood is adamant his father would not be alive today."Dad wouldn't be sitting next to me if it wasn't for that training," he said."How lucky I am that it was still fresh in my memory."Bevan Norwood told the ABC it was as though his father had "fallen asleep" in his camp chair."We instantly knew something wasn't quite right," he said."You just think about the job at hand and what needs to be done."Posted 1h ago1 hours agoSun 11 May 2025 at 1:09amShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesDumped minister accuses Richard Marles of being a 'factional assassin'Topic:ALPPhoto shows Ed Husic, wearing a suit, sitting on a green bench.Israel is keeping up its blockade of aid as kids starve to deathTopic:WarPhoto shows A small baby in a pink onesie sleeps on a blue and yellow blanket.How one of Australia's richest families is rewriting its pokies legacyTopic:GamblingPhoto shows Len Ainsworth poses for a portrait at a table in a dark room with poker machines behind him.Harry, Charles and the grief dilemma tearing apart the royal familyTopic:RoyaltyPhoto shows An older man and two younger men Trump is trying to suspend habeas corpus. 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