David Lloyd Beckenham X The British Heart Foundation

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Here is Parimals Story:

2024 was, without a doubt, the most challenging year of my life. It all began in March when I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The following six months were a relentless battle - intensive radiotherapy and chemotherapy consumed my days. Then, in September, a glimmer of hope: the treatment had worked, and my tumor had disappeared. For the first time in months, things were starting to look up.

But fate had other plans…

On Tuesday 5th November, my day began like any other. I went to work, went about my usual routine, and later in the evening, headed to the pool, while my son trained with the David Lloyd swim team. That’s the last thing I remember before waking up in intensive care nearly seven days later.

So, what happened in those missing days?

While swimming, I suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. My heart stopped. I lost consciousness and drowned, I DIED THAT NIGHT!

A young girl swimmer and Louise noticed I was motionless underwater…. Quinn the lifeguard sprang into action, pulling me from the pool. Chris & Jamie and the DL team immediately began CPR. It took 11 agonising minutes and two defibrillator shocks to bring me back. I can’t even begin to imagine what those 8 minutes felt like for them. They managed to remain calm, focused, and determined to save me. THEY SAVED MY LIFE!

Once stabilised, I was rushed to Croydon University Hospital, where doctors placed me in a medically induced coma, to allow my body to recover as my oxygen levels were dangerously low. The plan was to begin waking me up the next day.

But things didn’t go as expected.

Despite repeated attempts, I wasn’t responding. My family was being prepared for the worst. After 11 minutes without oxygen, the chances of survival - let alone a full recovery, were slim. If I woke up at all, doctors feared I would be completely brain dead. But my family refused to give up. They told the doctors to keep fighting because they knew I wouldn’t stop fighting either.

The challenges kept coming….

My body would shiver when they reduced the sedation when trying to wake me up. The doctors were convinced I was having seizures due to oxygen deprivation to the brain and so started me on anti epilepsy medication. My blood pressure was increasing every time they reduced the sedation, to the extent that the blood vessels in my eyes ruptured.

The doctors had given up hope. They did not expect me to come out of the coma as their attempts were failing. And then, almost seven days later, I finally woke up to their surprise!

The doctors advised that recovery would be slow and that it would take time for me to stand, walk, or regain a sense of normality. But I was determined to recover and regain my independence. Within two days, I was walking on my own and showering without assistance. Four days later, I was discharged from ICU and transferred to London Bridge Hospital for further tests.

Despite extensive examinations, the doctors couldn’t determine the conclusive cause of my cardiac arrest. It could have been a number of possible causes from a partially blocked artery, the side effects of the chemotherapy or the fact that I had contracted myocarditis due to a weakened immune system following all the cancer treatment. I will never know why this happened to me!

To prevent future incidents of my heart stopping, a Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (SICD) has been implanted in my body - a safety net for my heart.

On the 22nd November, just 18 days after my near death experience, I walked out of the hospital and returned home.

Today, life is starting to feel normal again. I’m back to training every day, running, cycling, and swimming. Even better, I’ve returned to playing cricket, my true passion.

I cannot express enough gratitude to the DL team for saving my life. They are now a life changing part of my story - a story of survival, resilience, and a second chance at life. For that, I will forever be grateful.