George was saved by Dr Mellor and two other NHS employees, who stopped to perform CPR.
A student is set to run the Cambridge Half Marathon two years after his heart stopped during the same event. George Collyer, 23, was close to the end of the 13.1 mile course in March 2024 before he collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest.
He is from South London but is studying architecture at Loughborough University. Back in 2024, George said: “The half marathon was going very well and I was on for a good pace.
“I was pushing myself hard and I remember feeling really tired. I was about 1km from the finish and then the next thing I remember, I woke up in an ambulance having survived a cardiac arrest. I’m lucky that three people with medical expertise were passing as without their swift actions, I might not be here today.”
Dr Greg Mellor, a consultant cardiologist and electrophysiologist at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, stopped to perform life-saving CPR on George, alongside two other runners – also NHS employees.
Dr Mellor, Dr Ben Straughan, anaesthetic registrar, and Dr Helen Nuttall, trauma and orthopaedic registrar, were able to restart George’s heart without a defibrillator. George was then taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge for testing.
He was transferred to Royal Papworth Hospital where he received a new type of cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implanted by a team led by Dr Mellor. An ICD is a small device usually implanted under the skin that helps protect against sudden cardiac arrests by delivering defibrillation.
Dr Mellor added: “I was running the half-marathon with my brother when we came across George on the ground, experiencing a cardiac arrest. Instinct just kicked in and between myself and two other NHS colleagues who stopped to help, we started CPR whilst also calling for an ambulance and a defibrillator. Thankfully the CPR was successful in restarting George’s heart.”
He continued: “George had no known heart condition and no abnormalities were found as a result of extensive testing, so ultimately we don’t know what happened to him. However we do know that up to 25% of individuals who survive an unexplained cardiac arrest will have another arrest within five years.
“Nobody knows what George’s personal risk will be in the future, but we were very open with him and his family that the consequences of another cardiac arrest without the protection of an ICD could be fatal.”
George added: “I was informed in hospital that Dr Mellor was one of those who had helped resuscitate me. A couple of days later he came in, introduced himself and explained his background. I couldn’t believe it and it feels like fate that he is now overseeing my care.
“From our early discussions it became apparent that an ICD might be an option for me and after discussions with family, it was a fairly straightforward decision.”
George was given an Aurora EV-ICD from Medtronic, which is the first major development in ICD technology in over 10 years. In January 2024, the first people in the UK were fitted with this device and were also Royal Papworth Hospital patients.
Dr Mellor continued: “Patients with EV-ICDs have no limitations placed on them in the long-run. We would anticipate and hope for our patients to return to their normal activities, involving exercise, travel, driving or whatever they want to do.
“Of course there are recovery periods after anyone’s operation and depending on people’s underlying heart condition, there may be recommendations to avoid certain activities. However we are very supportive of George going back to running and there are no restrictions. That includes running the Cambridge half marathon again.”
Since his surgery, George has spent a year working in Canada, on placement from university. The Aurora EV-ICD also has the ability to provide remote monitoring that links to the device and sends data back to Royal Papworth Hospital.
If any anomalies are detected, the NHS team will be in touch with George immediately. George said: “I’m aware of my device but it’s not uncomfortable and it never stops me from doing anything. Thanks to the remote monitoring there’s also a real peace of mind that the hospital will get in touch if anything ever comes up again.”
Dr Mellor continued: “It was a very unusual situation to be involved at both ends of George’s care. It was unique and a real privilege to be able to do that for him.”
George will be taking on the Cambridge Half Marathon this year on Sunday, March 8, in aid of Royal Papworth Charity.