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Original poster

Who has saved your life?

136 replies

Nevermay · 09/08/2023 18:25

Apart from all the usual vaccinations, water companies, sanitation, NHS, etc that give us a safe, risk free life, when most of us would die before 50 without this... can anyone point to someone or something and say "they saved my life"?

OP posts:
Tidsleytiddy · 09/08/2023 21:00

The NHS surgeon who operated on my ectopic pregnancy that was close to rupturing

ActDottie · 09/08/2023 21:12

My dog, I have many mental health issues and both my dogs are my world and give me a purpose each day.

Thinkinpinkin · 09/08/2023 21:20

Various and partner- I have had MH issues serious and been on the brink where I put myself in harms way and others.

LetMeEnfoldYou · 09/08/2023 21:25

My colleagues who looked after me more than I can describe when I had a terrible family crisis, sometimes literally holding me up as I cried. They're like brothers to me now.

nildesparandum · 09/08/2023 21:32

The tutor midwife 53 years ago. I had been in labour with my first baby for ages, she came into the room with two student midwives to do a teaching session, discovered I was in a life threatening complication of labour and alerted the doctors.My DS1 was born in a very emergency c section we both almost died during it but if we had been left any longer we would not be here now.
The taxi driver who, eleven months ago, took me to hospital when I was having a pulmonary embolism.I was fully aware of the symptoms I was suffering but decided not to risk waiting for an ambulance which would likely be a few hours.The clot was a very large one and I would have been dead when an ambulance arrived.

Soveryunwell · 09/08/2023 21:37

The Dr that realised I had encephalitis when I was 6 that was brought on by measles.

My therapist.

Goatymum · 09/08/2023 21:40

The surgeon who operated on me 2 days after birth. I would’ve 100% have died otherwise & I have the scar to prove it!

TicTac80 · 09/08/2023 21:42

My mum when I was about 3 or 4: my younger sibling and I had got into the medicines cupboard at home (there was a box of meds and it was on the top shelf). I scaled the shelves while Mum had her head turned, and proceeded to share out all the meds in that box between my sibling and me. Mum came into the room, found us and all these empty containers/boxes, scooped us up (and all the containers) and rushed us to A+E.

My mum when I was 7. I was at friend's house, we were playing in her room and she gave me a hardboiled sweet. Our mums were chatting on the veranda. The sweet went straight down the wrong way and I started choking. I thought I would be in trouble for having the sweet, but then staggered outside. Mum somehow flipped me over and gave back slaps which dislodged the sweet

readbooksdrinktea · 09/08/2023 21:42

The friend who looked closer and fought to pull me out of the hole of covid isolation and deep sadness.

Azaeleasinbloom · 09/08/2023 21:48

My dog who alerted DH that I was breathing strangely after an op . Dog was lying at my feet and leapt up and got DH to come. DH said he just knew by dog’s stare and stance that he needed to come and see to me.

Switchingoff · 09/08/2023 21:48

Another one here saved from drowning as a child - in a hotel pool, by a total stranger

Clarabe1 · 09/08/2023 21:48

My cat miaowing loudly alerted my husband in the middle of the night who found me collapsed on the bathroom floor. I had gone into septic shock. I would like to think my cat was a superhero but I think it was more likely he saw it as food opportunity and couldn’t understand why I was pissing about on the floor. Nevertheless he saved my life!

weegiemum · 09/08/2023 21:48

Twice.

Once I fell and broke my ankle/leg and was very lucky to fall with a phone in my hand. By the time the paramedics got there I was bleeding out on my living room rug. I was blue lighted to hospital and transfused/operated on to sort it out. Still hurts on cold/damp days.

Secondly about a year later I developed cellulitis in my leg following a cat scratch. I have a neurological condition that affects my sensation and balance (the reason I fell previously) and the cellulitis developed into sepsis. I was shutting down over several days, kidney function decreasing etc and I was out of it, no memory of this. Dh was going crazy (he's a doctor and no one was listening to him) and in the end, on the 6th day when they were holding a bed in ITU for me, planning on dialysis, he emailed everyone in our little church to pray as he was sure I was dying. The next morning I woke up aware, awake and with normal kidney function. I had had a series of very vivid dreams about choosing to come home. I'm convinced it was miraculous.

grayhairdontcare · 09/08/2023 21:51

My friends mum who told me the day I was 16 that I didn't have to go home and I would be safe if I stayed there.
She literally saved me and changed my life .

Needhelp101 · 09/08/2023 21:51

The manager of my local pub. He performed a textbook Heimlich maneuver when I was choking to death on a mouthful of steak.

Apparently, this is pretty common. People, cut your steaks very finely!

Ozgirl75 · 09/08/2023 21:54

It is the NHS but a trainee midwife saved me the day I was born. My mum had been in labour, fruitlessly, for hours and hours. The midwife came in and quietly said “I think this baby’s the wrong way round”. According to my dad “all hell broke loose”, a Dr was called back from a black tie dinner and came running down the corridor in full evening suit, my mum was rushed away for a crash c section and I was born minutes later. Apparently I was frank breech and she was trying to give birth to me bottom first.

Later my mum woke up and said to my dad “I’ve got to have a caesarean” and he said “you’ve already had it, we’ve got a tiny girl” and just sobbed.

Anyway, I was fine but I could easily have died that day.

GreenCereal · 09/08/2023 21:54

My brother pulled me out of our swimming pool when I was 2 and he was 7. The gate hadn't latched properly and I'd managed to get in on my own.

LetMeEnfoldYou · 09/08/2023 22:02

grayhairdontcare · 09/08/2023 21:51

My friends mum who told me the day I was 16 that I didn't have to go home and I would be safe if I stayed there.
She literally saved me and changed my life .

That's wonderful.

Bumdrops · 09/08/2023 22:02

My beautiful dog, when I was so low in mood and suffering from anxiety and panic, I wanted to die and kept thinking in a couple of days I’ll end it, when I got to that day, I would say to myself just a few more days….
I never did it because of this wonderful dog who loved me and needed me x

SusanSHelit · 09/08/2023 22:03

My mum when I stopped breathing and went blue at 10 days old, very nearly ended up a sids statistic but she says her maternal instinct woke her up

My mum again when I had a really severe chest infection as a toddler and she refused to be fobbed off by gp. She took me to the local children's hospital where they found I had a fever of 39.9 and were surprised I was still conscious (though apparently was only just at this point) they put me on oxygen, iv antibiotics and nebulisers and I was happy and well again a week later.

The lifeguard who pulled me off the bottom of the swimming pool on holiday when I'd taken off my (horrible irritating) water wings before I could even float let alone swim. I have been of the opinion that drowning wouldn't be a terrible way to die ever since, it's quite calm

My best friend when I went through some very very dark times a few years ago. I very much did not want to be alive but the thought of hurting her was even worse.

The midwife who noticed I was bleeding out after having dc. She fished around and found retained placenta and stitched me up. Stopped the bleeding and potential sepsis Only needed one unit of blood. She also saved me from an instrumental delivery. I will love that woman until the day I die.

I am quite certain I am definitely supposed to be here. I've also been in three car crashes, each time as a passanger, twice the cars were written off, I came out without so much as a scratch.

Friarclose · 09/08/2023 22:10

An angel of an audiologist called Zoe. I'd developed tinnitus and it was destroying my life. By the time I saw her, I was very suicidal and had self harmed badly. I told her that unless something helped me I wouldn't be here this time next week and I meant it. She pulled all the stops and got me a pair of hearing aids fitted with white noise masking the same day, and they saved my life. I'm 9 years on, still have tinnitus, no longer bothered by it and no longer wear maskers but without a doubt she saved me.

Thank you Zoe.

ForestofBears · 09/08/2023 22:14

My friend who gained my trust over a very long conversation until I eventually admitted that I had plans to end my life.

Ollifer · 09/08/2023 22:18

My son. I tried many times to end my life due to on and off depression since being a young teenager. And now since having him 6 years ago, no matter how low I get, he is the reason I get up in the morning with a smile and power through. I know now I'll never try to harm myself ever again.

Nellieinthebarn · 09/08/2023 22:23

The surgeon who operated on my ruptured ectopic pregnancy, and the people who donated blood.

My uncle pulled me out of the pond I fell into head first at 9 months.

rickandmorts · 09/08/2023 22:24

My car, last week. I suffered a head on collision. If it had been a small car like a C1 or Fiat 500 I'd be dead. And likewise, my baby's car seat saved my 8 month old. Feel emotional every time I look at it and I'm not ready to cut the straps off and take it to the tip 🥺