On the 1st of February 2025 we hosted our very first meet-up in Yorkshire for Cardiac Arrest Survivors in collaboration with Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK. We were blessed to have survivors and co-survivors come along to tell their stories and offer each other their experience and support. We met in Shibden Mill in Halifax and kick-started the morning with a casual coffee and a natter. This opened up the room to be relaxed and to allow each other to settle any nerves. We discussed other events we’d been to and talked about whether any of the group had experience of sharing their story with others.
Mid morning we moved into a beautiful private dining area where we could have more privacy and intimacy to share and discuss each other’s cardiac arrest stories. Each person took their turn in retelling their experience and opened themselves up to questions. There was no pressure to tell their story, but in a safe space people felt comfortable to open up and share what they had gone through. It was very emotional at times, retelling such a traumatic experience can stir up memories and fears. But each person said they felt very grateful for having a group to talk to, many people can feel alone and it helps to talk to other survivors about their experiences.
The group were then treated to a wonderful lunch where we could discuss amongst ourselves how we felt and what we wanted from the group. We also discussed organising the next meet-up for summer. Overall it was a very successful event that brought like-minded people together and offered comfort and support.
We can’t wait for the next one!
