Cardiac arrest survivor reunites with lifesaving police officer
Two people from east London whose lives became unexpectedly intertwined after one helped save the other’s life during a cardiac arrest on the street have now been reunited — weeks after a chance encounter brought them together in the most extraordinary circumstances.
On 29 June, 58-year-old Murray Edward was out for a walk with a friend along Wapping’s Ornamental Canal, near Tobacco Dock, when his life suddenly changed. He collapsed without warning, and the next thing he knew, he was waking up at St Bartholomew's Hospital hours later after suffering a cardiac arrest.
What Murray didn't realise was that his life had been saved by an off-duty police officer who had been on her way home from her own appointment at St Bartholomew's Hospital when she saw him collapsed on the floor.
PC Shuo Cui, who is based at Romford Police Station, had been running late to pick up her daughter after an appointment at the hospital when she spotted what she initially thought was a child lying on the ground on the other side of the canal. As she got closer, she realised it was a man. His face had turned purple, and when she reached him, she found him unresponsive.
Shuo, who is currently undergoing cancer treatment at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, said she knew she had to reach him as quickly as possible.
“I wanted to help, so I ran as fast as I could to the other side of the canal. I checked him and realised he wasn’t breathing. I checked his pulse and found there were no signs of life, so I started CPR straight away,” Shuo explained.
“A crowd had started to gather. Another passer-by asked if there was a gym in the residential building opposite because they thought there might be a defibrillator there. The building manager quickly brought one over.”
Shuo had received training in using a defibrillator as part of her role as a Metropolitan Police officer but had never used one in a real-life situation before.
When the defibrillator arrived, Shuo asked another bystander to continue CPR while she attached the pads and followed the device’s instructions. She ensured everyone stood clear while the AED delivered two shocks, after which CPR was immediately resumed.
Shuo updated the 999 call handler on Murray’s condition and remained with him until the London Ambulance Service arrived before leaving to collect her daughter from school.
The pair have now been reunited at St Bartholomew's Hospital - a place which is now a shared part of their story - with Murray finally finding out what happened to him. He discovered from the doctors that he was originally taken to The Royal London but when his heart stopped again and another three further shocks, he was taken to St Bartholomew's where he underwent emergency surgery to restore blood flow to his heart.
Murray was released from hospital just days later and is recovering well at home.
"The whole thing is unbelievable, and I can't thank everyone enough, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Shuo," he said.
For Shuo, it was a relief to find out that Murray was recovering well.
"I had a big sense of relief when I found out he was okay and it is a day I will remember for the rest of my life," she explained.
"My daughter has told everyone at her school and said how proud she is of me.
"In my mind at the time, all I kept thinking was that I just wanted to save that person, nothing else mattered."
You can watch the moment they were reunited below.
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