Third year nursing student at Lincoln Uni saves her dad’s life after sudden heart attack

Lois Finch’s dad made a full recovery and was able to watch her graduate


A student nurse at University of Lincoln saved her dad’s life after he had a sudden heart attack.

Lois, a third year nursing student at the time, had to perform emergency CPR and use a defrbillator on her dad Dean Finch when he went into cardiac arrest whilst playing football at his grandson’s birthday party.

Dean had jokingly remarked to his family to “get the defib ready” before he partook in the parents versus kids football match where he collapsed and began frothing at the mouth.

Lois’ dad Dean

At the time, Lois had only ever performed CPR and used a defibrilator on dolls in her nursing classes at University of Lincoln, and never on an actual person before.

Lois said: “I was only a student nurse at the time and we had been taught this sort of stuff at university on dolls.

“But you would never think to experience doing it on your own dad. It was the first time I had done anything really. It was just fight or flight, and I just went into nurse mode.”

Thakfully, Dean made a full recovery and was able to attend Lois’ graduation in September after he came out of hospital.

All photos via SWNS. 

Related articles recommended by this author:

• Reclaim The Night: Lincoln students rally in protest for female safety

• LGBTQIA+ hate crimes have increased more than any other crime in Lincoln in the past year

• Student members of Plant-Based Unis took over a Lincoln Uni building on Friday