A 61-year-old dad has described how he feared he was going to die after suffering a near-fatal heart attack while alone in an off-grid caravan in a remote forest park. Martin Drummond woke up with searing chest pains while holidaying in Tay Forest Park, a 194-square-kilometre forested area in Highland Perthshire, during severe weather conditions.
He was attempting to wait out the rest of a storm, which had caused major damage, before towing his van back to Edinburgh. At 6am he woke with a temperature, cold sweats, and tingling arms. The dad-of-two was left stranded and fearing for his life as the storm had blocked off roads in and out of his secluded location in Kilvrecht on the south side of Loch Rannoch, meaning an ambulance could take hours.
Excruciating pain and total despair
Martin said: "The pain was excruciating. I knew it was life or death. I was scared for my life. The sensation was like a vice tightening in the upper half of my body. My arms were lifeless as if they had been punched repeatedly. It was like nothing I've ever experienced."
"It felt like a punch to the solar plexus. I had cold sweats and was highly vulnerable as it was just me on the campsite. There was no warden, no facilities, no shop, and I was miles from the nearest village. I was in total despair. I thought I was going to have to ride the pain out for hours."
Martin managed to call 999, but an ambulance was going to be hours due to the bad weather and road conditions.
Air ambulance crew saved my life
Martin went on: "Rannoch isn't a noisy, urban environment. It's a very quiet glen. I suddenly heard helicopter blades and saw the helicopter appear quite low over the canopy. I look back now and realise that was a pivotal moment. The air ambulance crew undoubtedly saved my life."
An air ambulance was dispatched and paramedics soon administered pain relief before Martin was stretchered onto the aircraft. He was rushed to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, where medics told him he was "lucky" to have survived. He returned home after eight days in the Coronary Care Unit.
Speaking out to thank rescuers
The incident happened during Storm Babet in October 2023, and Martin is speaking out now to thank those who saved his life. He added: "My heart had suffered severe damage and doctors said I was very lucky. I've been in good health my whole life so it was a big shock."
"A heart attack isn't necessarily life-ending and I always had a chance of survival because I was conscious, but there's no doubt my chances were greatly enhanced by the ability of the helicopter crew to get to me so quickly. The timing was critical. Any other option was hopeless."
