Justyce Crossman, 23, was celebrating her birthday with a walk in Hafren Forest near Llanidloes, Wales, when her fiancé David Robinson suddenly collapsed and stopped breathing. She immediately called 999 and began performing CPR, which she had learned during previous nursing studies.
Emergency response and diagnosis
First responders and paramedics arrived 20 minutes later and used a defibrillator to administer two shocks, stabilizing David. He was airlifted to Glan Clwyd Hospital in Denbighshire, where doctors diagnosed him with Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery (ALCAPA), a rare congenital heart condition affecting about one in 300,000 babies. Without surgery, the mortality rate in symptomatic infants is 90 percent.
David was later transferred to Freeman Hospital in Newcastle for open heart surgery to correct the defect and had a permanent defibrillator fitted. Surgeons have told the couple that David is not expected to have another heart attack.
Call for more defibrillators
Justyce is now advocating for more public defibrillators, especially in rural areas. She said: "If there was one there, the operator could have told me to go and get it and it could have increased his survival rate even more." The couple has partnered with defibrillator charity Missed A Beat to raise funds and install additional defibrillators across the region.
Justyce, originally from Victoria, Australia, is now pursuing paramedic training. She said: "It's so important to know how to do CPR because if I didn't know how to do it, David probably wouldn't be here today."
Recovery and future plans
David, 21, from Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, has no recollection of the collapse. He said: "It was confusing to hear that I've had a heart condition my whole life. I've been very active and played cricket my whole life." He expects to return to work as an electrician and resume playing cricket after recovery.
The couple became engaged in March 2025. Justyce said: "It's like an eternal bond because I have just given him back his life."
