An Edinburgh mum has praised hero restaurant staff that stepped in to save her life after she collapsed at her daughter's wedding.
Irene Swan, 77, from Portobello was celebrating her daughter Marie's wedding, which had twice been cancelled due to Covid, at an intimate ceremony at the Sun Inn, Dalkeith when she fell ill during the reception dinner.
The family just sat down to eat when the mother of the bride fainted due to heart issues. Luckily the staff working the event stayed calm and provided the correct medical care and got a defibrillator from next door to save the mum's life.
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In a shocking turn of events a couple who hadn’t booked turned up to the venue to complain - despite the medical emergency happening in front of them.
But the Midlothian hotel staff stayed calm and still managed to deliver medical attention to save the grandma's life.
The mum-of-two was rushed to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where she sat for hours before being seen, but praised the hard-working NHS staff for their work and was sent home the next day with a heart monitor on.
Speaking of the alarming incident, Irene said: "The wedding was absolutely lovely, it was just amazing. It was a very small affair as it had been cancelled twice due to lockdowns already.
"We came back from the register office in Dalkeith and I had a latte and a wee cake before the meal and felt absolutely fine. When we went through I had my starter and the meal was delicious, I had started eating my main course and I remember feeling really hot and gasping for air."
Just two courses into the meal the mum of the bride fell ill and collapsed.
"I was looking up at the ceiling and thought there must be air coming in somewhere but I felt like I was suffocating. My daughter was looking at me and my eyes were just staring, she thought I was dead and cried out. I don't remember much after that till I came around" she said.
When they arrived at A&E by ambulance they then faced an six-hour wait to be seen by doctors. Irene explained: "It was really scary, we got taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary by 7pm and they put us in the waiting room at A&E where I started to feel faint again because of all the people there was over 100, it was jam packed.
"I waited there with my husband and after several hours I felt dreadful and wanted to go home but my daughter who is a staff nurse told me 'there's not a chance' i'm going home so I waited to be seen at around 1am."
She continued: "When we got seen they kept me in overnight, and put a heart monitor on for two weeks. I feel much better now and can't thank the Bells Inn staff enough."
Daughter Marie Swan, 57, shared: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank the manager's and staff who looked after my mum. Your professionalism and calm manner was outstanding.
"My mum was kept in overnight at the RIE and is now fitted with a heart monitor she is getting the care she needs.
"We also want to thank you for your courtesy and professional service throughout our meal and for providing additional meals after my mum was taken to hospital.
"Mike and I definitely had a wedding day to remember, these memories which include the managers and the staff at the Sun Inn.
"Food & stay fantastic, we will be back for a less traumatic meal!"
A member of the Sun Inn wrote on Facebook praising their incredible team: "Huge thanks to the team working tonight. We had a medical emergency mid service. Calmly and efficiently engaged themselves and organised emergency services and a defibrillator from @thedeantavern (thanks guys) and carried on and honoured the remainder of bookings in The Barn away from any drama.
"Shoutout to emergency services who were quick and courteous. To the couple who weren’t booked and couldn’t understand why we couldn’t serve them - poor show.
"Duty manager Ryan @ryanoc04 And supervisors Dylan @kittd554 and Connor @connor.ms05 well done lads. Super proud of you all.
"Pints and pizza after what was a tough night."
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Symptoms of a heart attack can include:
- chest pain – a feeling of pressure, heaviness, tightness or squeezing across your chest
- pain in other parts of the body – it can feel as if the pain is spreading from your chest to your arms (usually the left arm, but it can affect both arms), jaw, neck, back and tummy
- feeling lightheaded or dizzy
- sweating
- shortness of breath
- feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
- an overwhelming feeling of anxiety (similar to a panic attack)
- coughing or wheezing
The chest pain is often severe, but some people may only experience minor pain, similar to indigestion.
While the most common symptom in both men and women is chest pain, women are more likely to have other symptoms such as shortness of breath, feeling or being sick and back or jaw pain.
Call 999 immediately if you think someone might be having a heart attack. The faster you act, the better their chances.
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