- Kayleigh Copper collapsed along the Brisbane River during a Saturday morning jog and was clinically dead for several minutes
- CCTV footage from a nearby Star Casino caught the moment strangers rallied to perform CPR on the unconscious runner
- A security guard used a defibrillator for the first time to deliver a shock that played a key role in her survival
A Brisbane woman who had been running for over two decades collapsed mid-stride along the Brisbane River on a Saturday morning, her body giving out without warning at just 43 years old.
Source: Youtube
Kayleigh Copper was 9.6 kilometres into a planned 16-kilometre run when she staggered to a bench and lay down.
David McMillan and his wife spot Kayleigh
Within seconds, her arms went limp. She was in cardiac arrest, and she had no idea it was coming.
David McMillan and his wife happened to be on a morning stroll nearby when they spotted Kayleigh motionless on the bench.
Unable to rouse her, they immediately called emergency services. By then, her face had already turned blue.
Security guard Trevor Turner wheels out defibrillator
"She's not breathing," one caller told the operator, as other passersby gathered and began performing CPR.
Across the road, staff at the Star Casino were watching the entire scene unfold on their CCTV monitors.
Security guard Trevor Turner responded swiftly, wheeling out a defibrillator with the help of colleagues and delivering a shock that would prove critical.
Was Kayleigh dead?
It was the first time Turner had ever used the device on a real patient.
"Seeing those eyes just pierce through, it's like emotional, you know," he said afterwards.
Doctors later confirmed that Kayleigh had been clinically dead for several minutes. Statistically, the odds were heavily against her.
How many people survive cardiac arrest outside hospital setting?
Only one in ten people survive a cardiac arrest that occurs outside a hospital setting.
Yet everything came together on that particular morning. A couple who noticed. Bystanders willing to act. Casino staff watching a screen. A defibrillator close enough to reach in time.
Kayleigh, who had shown no prior signs of heart trouble, has since been told she can no longer run.
Kayleigh speaks out on World Restart a Heart Day
But rather than retreating quietly into recovery, she chose to speak out on World Restart a Heart Day, hoping her story might prompt others to learn CPR or take notice of public defibrillators in their communities.
"Everything just lined up so perfectly," she said. "What a miracle all of this is, and I can't believe I'm still alive thanks to everybody who came to help me."
Her fitness had offered no protection against what doctors call a sudden cardiac arrest, a reminder that the condition can strike anyone, at any age, without warning.
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Mama Twins dies of cardiac arrest
In another story, TUKO also highlighted facts about Mrs GCFR, known online as Mama Twins, whose pregnancy videos built her a devoted TikTok following before her death from cardiac arrest.
Her passing prompted an outpouring of tributes from followers who said they felt closely connected to her journey.
Source: TUKO.co.ke