When 74-year-old Minh Lengoc visited Jellie Park for his daily swim he had no idea his heart was about to stop beating.
The retired scientist had spent about 45 minutes swimming lengths on May 24 - but after he got out and was gathering his gear he went into sudden cardiac arrest and collapsed next to the pool.
Lifeguards Kristina Sammut and Nicole Sullivan found him unresponsive and without a pulse. They immediately started cardiopulmonary resuscitation as other staff called 111 and fetched one of the facility’s two automatic external defibrillators and oxygen.
Sammut and Sullivan had been trained to give CPR.
Sullivan said she could hear Lengoc’s ribs crack as she pumped his chest, but she knew she had to keep going so she fought back her tears and concentrated on saving his life.
Lifeguard supervisor Tegan Lawrence heard the emergency call over the radio and rushed to the pool to help resuscitate Lengoc.
The AED shocked him three times before paramedics arrived.
Lengoc was rushed to hospital where he spent five days in an induced coma and underwent open heart surgery.
"The doctors said I was a very lucky person because nine out of 10 people would have died," said Lengoc.
The doctors were initially concerned his cardiac arrest may have starved his brain of oxygen and caused irreparable damage, but Lengoc was able to be discharged from hospital after three weeks.
One of the first things he did after his discharge was return to Jellie Park to thank the staff who saved his life.
He said it was very emotional for him and his wife, Thao, who at one stage had been planning for his funeral.
