A former nurse from Staffordshire has been hailed a hero after saving a fellow British tourist from drowning in Turkey. Lee-Bernadette Walford, 53, was sunbathing in Olu Deniz on 2 October when she heard a German tourist shouting for help as he dragged an unconscious woman to shore.
Mrs Walford, a mother of four from Newcastle-under-Lyme, rushed to assist and found Sonya Grist, 79, not breathing. Using her medical training, she performed CPR until the woman regained consciousness. 'She was a dreadful colour and I basically had to start compressions,' Mrs Walford said.
Mrs Grist, a keen sportswoman and tour guide from London, had been caught in a riptide while swimming. She was taken to hospital and treated overnight. Two days later, the pair met again at the resort in Lykia, where Mrs Grist emotionally thanked her rescuer. 'She just said "you saved my life" and started to hug me,' Mrs Walford recalled.
Mrs Walford, who has also saved a boy in a leisure centre pool and an elderly man who was choking, urged everyone to learn life-saving skills. She described Mrs Grist as 'so interesting, an absolutely lovely woman' and plans to attend her 80th birthday party later this month.
