'Hero' Cork paramedic saves sister's life after heart attack at wedding

Before being sick, Eithne Minihane had felt pain in her teeth which she described as 'stopping me in my tracks'

Kieran Minihane pictured with his sister Eithne, whose life he helped to save last August when she suffered a cardiac arrest.

A Cork woman has described her paramedic brother as her hero after he helped save her life when she had a heart attack at a wedding.

Eithne Minihane from Rochestown suffered a cardiac arrest in her room in a hotel in Youghal last August after she felt unwell during a wedding reception. Her husband Chris rang her paramedic brother Kieran, who was attending the same wedding, after she vomited and said she had a pain in her chest. 

Before being sick, she had felt pain in her teeth which she described as “stopping me in my tracks” and had decided to go to her room with her husband for a break after she felt herself getting warm.

The then 48-year-old also felt agitated and she recalls: “The music and noise got louder. When we went up to the room, I went into the bathroom and started throwing up.” 

She remembers thinking at that point that she would then feel better but says Chris knew by looking at her, when she told him that she felt a chest pain, that she was more unwell than she realised.

When Chris contacted Kieran for help, Eithne says: “He started the ball rolling in saving my life."

Kieran recalls that when he saw her, “I knew we were in trouble”. He called for an ambulance and worked with the crew to save her life.

We could see from the monitors that she was having a massive heart attack.

She went into cardiac arrest for about six minutes.

“I think I put on my paramedic hat and dealt with the ambulance crew; the three of us together, and we got her back," says Kieran.

She was moved from the room to the ambulance via the stairs by members of Youghal Fire Service.

Kieran says he then had to make phone calls to his and Eithne’s other five siblings to tell them how seriously ill their youngest sibling was, as she was being transported to Cork University Hospital. She received one stent in surgery at the CUH, three hours after she became unwell.

Eithne never had any history of heart issues prior to the incident. She currently attends regular cardiac rehabilitation in the CUH.

She says of Kieran: 

We have a great relationship but he is my hero now. Watching him switch from brother to paramedic was amazing. He went into control mode.

She recalls: “I was wondering was I actually going to die.” 

She says she decided to speak about what happened after a recent death of a friend’s brother, to raise awareness. She also says that her episode highlights that heart attacks are not confined to men.

She adds: “I was one of the lucky ones. I will be forever grateful to every single person who helped me. I am very aware that not everybody gets their happy ending.” 

Kieran says the incident shows the importance of time in such a scenario, adding: “As she was going into cardiac arrest, we were right there with early chest compressions, early defibrillation. It made a big difference.” 

Eithne and Kieran say they are so grateful to the ambulance service and fire service, as well as the manager Jason Lenane of the Walter Raleigh Hotel for their work in saving Eithne’s life.

70% of cardiac arrests occur in the home and both Eithne and Kieran are keen to highlight the importance of learning CPR and of ensuring that people know where their local defibrillators are located.