Chatham cardiac arrest survivor reunited with medic life-savers
'CPR truly saves lives'
Ms Lewis said she found Mr Mills unresponsive and recognised the signs of cardiac arrest before immediately starting chest compressions, keeping oxygen circulating to his brain and vital organs until help arrived.Ms Lewis added: "Thanks to my partner who is CPR-trained, and all the members of the public that stopped to help us, alongside colleagues from Secamb and the emergency services, we were able to deliver effective CPR to save Chris's life."Within minutes of the 999 call, nine members of Secamb were sent to the scene, including community first responder Jade Clabon.Ms Clabon said: "The actions of Rachael that day gave Chris the best possible chance of survival and it's a reminder of why everyone should know CPR, as it truly saves lives."Mr Mills was stabilised and taken to Medway Maritime Hospital, where he made a recovery. Now, Mr Mills and his wife Brenda are determined to encourage more people to learn CPR so that others can have the same chance he did.
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The Independent
10 hours ago
- The Independent
‘I don't regret I stopped breastfeeding to take Ozempic. I should have done it sooner'
I remember standing in the bathroom that October morning in 2023, exhausted, staring at the scale. The number – 88kg, or about 13 stone – hit harder than I expected. I wasn't shocked, exactly, but I had been avoiding the scale for months. Something about seeing that number in black and white made it feel official: I didn't look or feel like myself anymore. My maternity clothes were still too tight. My face was fuller, my body unfamiliar. The baby was here, and healthy and I was grateful for that. But I was lost. I'd been through this cycle before. When I became pregnant with my firstborn, Lewis, in early 2019, I weighed around 65kg, or three stone lighter, which is more or less where I'd always been. At 5ft8, that felt like home: a stable, healthy weight where I had a good relationship with food and with myself. I was in my early thirties – young enough to 'snap back' after pregnancy (or so I thought). Yet, I was more preoccupied with it than I imagined – after his beautiful birth (a low-stress C-section since he was breech), one of the first things I did was get on the scale. Yet I was baffled: how does a baby weighing seven pounds result in a loss of only five, I thought? Postpartum, I did drop a few more pounds, eventually to around 77kg or 12 stone, but never below that again. Granted, I didn't diet or exercise particularly aggressively – I'm not built that way – but I stayed stuck. Then, later into my thirties, came Luke, my second son. I stopped looking at the scales midway through. Regardless of the fact that my body was doing this miraculous thing, despite how overjoyed I felt to have two healthy boys, I couldn't prevent the wash of shame – and anxiety, disgust, even – that seeing '15 stone' on my record post-birth provoked. I carried guilt along with the extra weight. Breastfeeding was supposed to be straightforward. According to the thousands – the parenting circles, the health campaigns and comment sections – who religiously repeat the mantra, 'breast is best', and, they'll add, it burns calories! It'll help you lose your pregnancy weight! Yet, that's not exactly a proven theory – and, for so many women, it just doesn't work. Plus, behind the slogans lies a trap of judgment and internal conflict: women face pressure if they can't breastfeed and pressure if they do – especially beyond six months, pressure that is linked with increased postpartum anxiety. The moment that someone stops early, even pain-ridden or supply-stricken mothers, a new wave of judgment from formula-shaming peers, and even loved ones. Couple that shame, then, with the enduring stigma of postpartum weight loss, and with the new judgment du jour – using injectables like Ozempic. Behind closed doors, in hushed voices at the playground, there are plenty of us talking about it both in the US, where I live, and the UK. In fact, I've noticed an increase in women around me using injectables, some to get them back to their pre-pregnancy weight, many of them stopping breastfeeding to do so. Reportedly, though I've never been invited to any myself, there are WhatsApp groups for so-called 'sema[glutide]-mums' – and, though I was able to get mine through my own doctor and work benefits in the States, many end up paying through the nose for it themselves. But, in the end, like me, they had to put their own mental health first. For me, breastfeeding Lewis was agony: I had bleeding nipples, terrifying letdown pain, a baby who fed for ages and still seemed unsatisfied. I alternated between breastfeeding, pumping and formula. When nothing helped, I felt I had failed. When I switched fully to formula, I felt relief and – you guessed it – more shame. With Luke, I tried again: this time I battled low supply, consulted lactation consultants, fixed his tongue‑tie, used nipple shields – but still, nursing felt like torture. I couldn't sleep at night; the obsessive feeding schedule crushed every ounce of mental stability. Two pregnancies and years of disrupted sleep and self-care meant I was stuck. Not just in my body, but in the overwhelming pressure to 'snap back'. The idea that 'bouncing back' – re-emerging with their pre-baby bodies weeks after delivery – is only reinforced by media that praises celebrity mums who manage it, and highlights those who retain their postpartum weight as failures. There's a catch though, as we're now learning: you might be negligent if you remain overweight – but medicating to lose it? Also, not good enough. According to most (admittedly) literature and experts, taking Ozempic while breastfeeding is not recommended – while we know the substance transfers to milk, we don't know the effects that might have on the baby. I knew that, while some people take it alongside nursing their babies, I wouldn't have ever taken that risk. So, by October 2023, I had stopped breastfeeding Luke out of sheer discomfort and in an attempt to regain parts of myself I had lost. My energy was gone. My self-esteem teetered at the edge of collapse. Food noise was intolerable – breastfeeding had left me so hungry, and my hormones were all over the place. I would wake up in the night and eat a whole bag of sweets, or go to McDonald's and compulsively order 20 chicken McNuggets – it was all so out of character and out of control. I thought that taking my ADHD medication again – from which I'd abstained during breastfeeding – might help me shed a few pounds, but when it didn't, I went straight to plan B: Ozempic. I was lucky that I had people around me supporting me, some of whom, like my mother-in-law and a friend, had safely used weight loss injectables themselves. That made the decision seem less shameful. I chose the lowest dose (0.25mg) to begin with, and then doubled it. The shift was magical: within days, food stopped crowding my mind. I wasn't waking at night to binge. My appetite, finally, felt normal and I wasn't having destabilising side effects. My son was thriving on formula – finally happy to have more than enough to eat – and within weeks, I was slipping back into my pre-pregnancy clothes. And the success only continued. By the middle of last year, I was back down to around 10 stone. I'm not skinny – but that was never really my prerogative. More importantly, I felt stable, energetic, and I felt like myself again. I could chase my kids around, feel present and engaged. Ozempic was never laziness or a cop-out – it was medicine that helped me restore a version of myself I'd lost. Of course, the shame still lingers in some circles. There's one friend I know I'd never tell (though I wouldn't lie if she asked). Despite the fact that she's a nurse, she made very strong comments about being 'against' the drugs when I was first going on them (I found it interesting to find out that she took them herself around six months later and lost 10kg). Some friends I've never told because they've never asked, others think I lost the weight another way, oblivious to the internal struggle I had to wage. It's not unusual to be discreet about it – judgment is still rife and, sometimes, you just have to protect your own peace. It's why the 'secret jabbers' (people feeling pressured to hide their Ozempic use) phenomenon is so widespread. Somehow, it's seen as a moral failing of sorts to use it over diet or 'self-control'. As a result, experts are calling for weight-loss medication to be understood as treating a chronic condition, not as a so-called shortcut. I believe that women should be able to make their own informed decisions about their own babies and their own bodies. I don't regret stopping breastfeeding early. I also don't regret taking Ozempic. These choices helped me reclaim my body and my mental health. They gave me energy, restored my confidence, and let me move freely in my life again. The more women who hear this without stigma – that whatever choice you make will be best for you and your baby – the more women who hopefully will avoid spiralling in private shame. Maybe someone will feel more at ease skipping another painful feeding session, or feel brave enough to ask their doctor about weight-loss medication without embarrassment. Ultimately, a cultural shift is needed: less 'fat talk', more celebration of postpartum diversity. Fewer whispers of 'just eat less' and more acceptance of body change – especially the radical transformation that pregnancy and birth prompts – as a part of life. Let's say that freedom from food noise is worthy. Some women might find healing through treadmill miles, others through letting go of milk and allowing a drug to help them reset. That's me and I can say, hand on heart, that it's been nothing short of life-changing for me. Currently, I weigh around 68kg (10.5 stone). I don't feel fat. I don't feel ashamed. I do feel healthy. And I do feel at peace with myself and able to enjoy being a hands-on mum. I'm still trying to find balance – some days I eat better and move my body more than others, but that's OK. I learned that my worth isn't tied to the size of my jeans or anyone else's opinion about that. The only regret I have is not doing it all sooner.
ITV News
2 days ago
- ITV News
UK's 'oldest hospice' discovered at archaeological dig in Berkshire
By Senior Science Producer Rhiannon Hopley Nestled behind a church in the Berkshire village of Cookham is an archaeological dig uncovering an 8th century Anglo Saxon monastery which has been hidden for hundreds of years. The monastery is in an area ruled by Queen Cynethryth and her husband King Offa. Excavations have found signs of a big wooden domestic structure and even a water mill – cutting edge technology at the time. But it is the monastery's cemetery that is changing our understanding of the Anglo-Saxon era. Archaeologists have been working on the site since 2021 but when excavating the cemetery, they started to notice an unusual pattern. The first skeleton they dug up with signs of cancer was a surprise. Then they dug up another and another. Four years into the dig, they have found multiple skeletons with signs of tumours or other swellings. It is the job of Professor Mary Lewis, a bioarchaeologist to analyse the skeletons. 'Before we excavated at Cookham, of all of the skeletons over the hundreds of years period that the Anglo Saxon period is, about 0.8% of individuals had cancer. "But adding the individuals from Cookham, it actually raised that to 1% of people. And within the population as a whole, within this group at Cookham, 11% of people that we excavated had cancer. It is unusually high.' It has led Professor Lewis to theorise that this is the oldest example of a hospice ever to be uncovered in the UK. "The level of cancer and other kind of conditions in this group is so high that they can't all have come from one local population. "So I think what's happening is that there's someone working at the monastery who may be a kind of medic - someone who can do prayers or particular herbal remedies that treats what they would have thought of as swellings.' The evidence continues to pile up. Professor Lewis has found marks on some of the skeletons' pelvises which are consistent with bed sores – suggesting they were receiving treatment at the monastery for extended periods of time. 'We don't really know anything about how people took care of people. But I think what's very clear from the evidence that we've seen is that these people were at Cookham for a long period of time. They were there with very serious conditions that were life threatening conditions. 'They were coming to seek help and people brought them there because they would have received a level of care.' There is more work to be done on the skeletons which will reveal more details of their lives. Tests can be done on the dental plaque known as calculus, left behind on the teeth of those found. It can tell us what herbal remedies they may have been treated with and even what incenses or herbs may have been burnt in an attempt to help cure them. The team are hoping to get some stable isotope analysis of the skeletons too – this will help tell where people may have travelled from to receive care at Cookham. The monastery was operating at a time of extreme change as Christianity started to spread in England. Gabor Thomas, a Professor in Early Medieval Archaeology at the University of Reading says the site helps us understand the political and religious movements of the time: 'Christianity at this point is still relatively new so monasteries like this have a role in Christianizing communities here in the Thames Valley."
ITV News
4 days ago
- ITV News
Co Down councillor says 'lives could be at risk' as laughing gas cannisters found on rural roads
A councillor has told UTV that 'lives could be at risk' after nitrous oxide canisters were found at the side of a road in The Spa area of County Down. These cannisters also known as nos or laughing gas can cause serious health issues if inhaled. Balloons are the items used to administer the nitrous oxide, a potentially lethal gas. DUP Councillor, Alan Lewis said there has been an ongoing issue with canisters being discarded in the hedges of the Ballynahinch area. He said: "This stuff has been found lying along the side of the road, be it one or two tins at a time, but more frequently, it's found in larger quantities of 6 or 10 tins."People in the Spa are really concerned that this stuff is hazardous, it is dangerous."The government made nitrous oxide a Class C drug several years ago under a clampdown on its misuse, back then it was the third most commonly misused that possessing it and using it for the wrong purposes is now a criminal offence under a law that dates back to 1971. Mr Lewis believes the laws surrounding the gas need to be updated: "There is reason to take a look at making sure that if you're caught with this, if you're caught supplying it for the purpose of misuse, that you should face a tough sentence. "There should be repercussions because you're putting people's lives at risk." Often used by medics as an anesthetic or pain reliever, recreational use of the gas can have lasting implications. Medical Director of NI Ambulance Service, Nigel Ruddell says: "Chronic use can cause even more serious problems, in particular, long term nerve damage because of its effect on some of the vitamins in the body. "Pure nitrous oxide is very dangerous because it contains no oxygen at all that you get the body can rely on. Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.
