Star rower felt ‘weird and weak’ as pulse soared to 227 beats before riverside rescue

Will said he could “see his sternum moving” before finding out his heart rate had skyrocketed to 227 beats per minute

A star rower whose heart rate soared to 227 beats per minute was rescued by the air ambulance. Will Young was rowing alone early one summer morning when he began losing his vision and the strength in his arms.

The 34-year-old began falling towards the river but managed to row 100m back to the boathouse and put his boat away. While resting on the second floor of the building, his heart rate skyrocketed to 227bpm.

“I’d never felt like that before,” Will said. “I felt weird and weak. I looked down at my chest and could see my sternum moving really fast. I put my heart strap on and, straight away, it showed my heart rate as 227bpm. I rang 999 and told the call handler I was having a serious cardiac event.”

Paramedics arrived and saw that Will was at immediate risk of a cardiac arrest with dangerously low blood pressure, so they requested support from the East Anglian Air Ambulance. A doctor and critical care paramedic arrived at the scene and sedated Will before delivering a controlled shock to his heart to reset it to a normal rhythm.

Will’s heart stopped briefly and the team needed to carry out CPR until his heart and breathing restarted. He had to be removed from the second floor of the building over the balcony due to its spiral staircase.

He was taken by land ambulance to Addenbrooke’s Hospital with the East Anglian Air Ambulance team. He is now raising awareness to ensure the charity can continue to save lives across the region.

Will said: “I’ve always known about the East Anglian Air Ambulance, but only later became aware that it was a charity; something I think many people don’t know. The service they provide is unbelievably important – critical in fact. I have since been able to meet the team from East Anglian Air Ambulance – it was really cool to meet the people who saved my life.”

Dr Nicola Ebbs, deputy medical director from East Anglian Air Ambulance, said: “At just 33 years old, Will faced a life-threatening situation, and thanks to the charity’s supporters, he was given urgent treatment and care at the scene. To see him now using his experience to support our new air base appeal is incredibly moving.

“People who have experienced first-hand the difference the service can make understand better than anyone why this appeal matters. Their stories help bring to life the impact that rapid, specialist pre-hospital care can have on patients and their families. We are immensely grateful to Will for lending his support to our campaign and for helping us raise awareness of the need for a new air base.”

Will returned to Cambridge in 2016 where he fell in love with rowing, competing at a national level. He had experienced a previous suspected episode of Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) – a dangerously fast heart rhythm that can lead to cardiac arrest.

During this first incident, his heart rate increased to 222 beats per minute for 20 minutes. After investigations at hospital, he learned that he had part of his heart was inflamed. He returned to the sport after time spent recovering, before the second incident which saw him rescued by air ambulance staff.

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Dr Ebbs continued: “We’d also like to extend our thanks to everyone who has donated to the Cambridge Air Base Appeal so far. Together, we’ve made an incredibly strong start and have been humbled by people’s generosity.

“But this is only the beginning. There’s still a significant amount of money to raise. As we push on with our fundraising efforts, every gift and every piece of support will be gratefully received – helping to ensure our crews can continue to reach critically ill and injured patients, in the quickest time possible, when every second counts.”

The East Anglian Air Ambulance relies entirely on charitable donations for its 24/7 critical care service. It also provides aftercare support for former patients and their families.

The Cambridge Air Base Appeal aims to fund the construction of a new and improved facility on land at New Shardelowes Farm, on the outskirts of the Cambridgeshire village of Fulbourn. A spokesperson said the new base will ensure the charity continues to deliver hospital-level critical care to patients in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, and Suffolk for decades to come.

They said: “Without a Cambridge base, East Anglian Air Ambulance’s lifesaving service would be cut in half, leaving just one air base in Norfolk and dramatically increasing response times to people like Will facing life-threatening emergencies across the region.”

You can find out more about the appeal here.