Paul White suffered a cardiac arrest at a martial arts class and paramedics restarted his heart using one of their defibrillators.
The 64-year-old from Croydon won’t be able to drive a cab again.
But he has gone on to raise over £1,000 by taking on the London Ambulance Charity’s fundraising walk, the “London Life Hike.”
Funds raised by the annual event will help install defibrillators in the deprived areas of London that need them most.
London Ambulance Service data shows those living in more deprived areas are more likely to be in greater need of additional defibrillators.
Paul, who lives in Croydon with Paula, collapsed at a church hall and his class instructor Paul Hughes immediately dialled 999 and performed chest compressions. Paramedics arrived in minutes and used a defibrillator from their kit.
Paul said: “If it wasn’t for their help and the use of a defibrillator, it would have been a very different outcome. I’m really fortunate that I’m still alive and didn’t suffer brain damage.”
Paul, a black cab driver for 25 years, added: “Sadly, I won’t be able to drive a cab again but have retained the Knowledge that cabbies need, so I’ll always be a cab driver at heart.”
His wife Paula said: “It was such a shock. He went off to work at 2 o’clock and at 10 o’clock at night I had the police at my door telling me that they were blue lighting Paul to St George’s Hospital where he was in a critical condition.
“At first I thought the police were informing me of his death.”
She continued: “Defibrillators and chest compression do work and he is living proof of it. If you perform CPR and use a defibrillator in time and do it correctly, people can still be here.
“I cannot thank the ambulance crews enough. They persevered, shocked him eight times and now I have my husband back.”
