Thank you to lifesavers (From Penarth Times)

Thank you to lifesavers

A VALE councillor, who suffered a brain haemorrhage last November has spoken of her gratitude to an ambulance crew who performed life-saving resuscitation on her.

Maureen Kelly-Owen said: "I suffered a brain haemorrhage on the weekend of Remembrance Sunday, and I must say my personal experience of how I was dealt with by the ambulance service was very good.

"Paramedics arrived within seven or eight minutes. I had lost consciousness and had temporarily stopped breathing. Fortunately for me, my two sons Justin and Julian were at home with me that weekend. They performed initial resuscitation and then when the paramedics arrived they worked on me for half an hour.

"I am extremely grateful to the team and feel they played a key role in saving my life.

"When I stood as a candidate to be Member of Parliament for the Cardiff South and Penarth constituency, I went out with a rapid response team into Cardiff city centre and I must say they do a fantastic job under very difficult circumstances - at times in considerable personal danger.

"In light of the recent bad press that the service has received, I felt that I had to tell my story to help paint a fuller picture."

Maureen Kelly-Owen is now on the road to recovery and hopes to resume her role on the council soon. Mrs Kelly-Owen, who lives in the art deco Sea Roads house formerly owned by the Gibbs shipping family, joined Penarth Town Council in 1974 and served on South Glamorgan County Council from 1974 to 1981.