A 41-year-old father-to-be has described himself as 'lucky and blessed' after a gym owner's swift actions saved his life when he suffered a cardiac arrest during a workout. Chris Wall collapsed mid-class at Catalyst Training in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, in June 2025, but owner Robin Oakley, 39, performed CPR and used a defibrillator, which proved crucial to his survival.
Weeks after the incident, Mr Wall is not only back in the gym but also preparing for the British Heart Foundation's London to Brighton bike ride and eagerly awaiting the arrival of his 'miracle baby' as the anniversary of his cardiac arrest approaches. 'I would not be here today if I wasn't in that gym class,' he told PA Real Life. 'I'm just super grateful that I was there and the guys knew what they were doing.'
On the morning of Saturday, 14 June 2025, Mr Wall felt tired after a busy week but dismissed the feeling and attended Robin Oakley's Saturday morning metabolic conditioning class. Around 45 minutes in, he 'went down' without warning. Robin, who had dealt with two previous cardiac arrest incidents, recognised the signs and began CPR alongside fellow class members Jack and Alice, while others retrieved the defibrillator installed just outside the gym and called 999.
Paramedics arrived quickly, and in total Chris received five shocks from the defibrillator—one from Robin and four from paramedics—and had CPR for around 30 minutes before being airlifted to Bristol Royal Infirmary. According to the British Heart Foundation, early CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chance of survival, with every minute without treatment reducing the chance by up to 10%.
Chris spent three days in hospital, where he learned the cardiac arrest was caused by a ruptured plaque in his artery leading to a clot. Recovery involved bruising from CPR, weakness, and mental challenges, but with encouragement from his partner Nikki, he gradually built up activity and made lifestyle changes, including giving up smoking and reducing alcohol. Just over a month later, he returned to the gym, slowly increasing activity while wearing a heart rate monitor.
Despite some anxiety about returning to the Saturday class, Chris remains grateful: 'If I'd have decided that morning to not go in because I was feeling tired and it would have happened anyway, there's no chance that my girlfriend would be able to do CPR for that length of time, there wouldn't be a defibrillator within 100 metres… I feel lucky and blessed, really, that I was there.'
