Ross-shire cardiac arrest survivor welcomed at emotional Caberfeidh v Kinlochshiel shinty fixture
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A MAN whose life was saved after a cardiac arrest just minutes into a match he was refereeing in Ross-shire paid an emotional return to the ground where the drama unfolded.
Steven Maclachlan suffered from a cardiac arrest while refereeing a shinty match between Caberfeidh and Kinlochshiel on Saturday, March 30.
His life was saved thanks to the quick-thinking actions of Kinlochshiel captain Conor Cormack, who is a local firefighter and familiar with defibrillators, and his teammate Keith MacRae.
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The presence of a defibrillator at the Castle Leod-based club, supplied by the charity Lucky2BHere, has been credited with being the difference between life and death.
Mr Maclachlan, who is from the Muir of Ord area, was subsequently able to make a recovery in the care of expert medical back-up. His family has since started a fundraiser aimed to paying forward their gratitude so others can benefit from defirbillators.
Defibrillators are devices that apply an electric charge or current to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat. If the heart rhythm stops due to cardiac arrest, also known as sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), a defibrillator may help it start beating again.
The fixture bewteen the Ross-shire clubs was replayed at the Strathpeffer ground yesterday.
Lucky2BHere was founded Ross Cowie – a well known figure in the shinty world – after his own life was saved through the availability of a defibrillator near where he suffered a cardiac arrest.
The charity posted: “It was a joy to be at Castle Leod when Caberfeidh Shinty Club welcomed Kinlochshiel Shinty Club back…for the rearranged MacTavish Cup tie.
“Even better was Ross meeting up with fellow cardiac arrest survivor Steven Maclachlan and his wife Alison just two weeks after Steven’s arrest on the shinty field.
“Lucky2BHere look forward to working with both Caberfeidh and the Maclachlan family in placing further life saving defibrillators and facilitating Emergency Life Support training.”
Caberfeidh Shinty Club president Ian Maclean said afterwards: “Over £1000 was raised yesterday for Lucky2BHere with hopefully some more to come. The donation will be added to Megan Maclachlan's justgiving page.
“It was great to see Stevie there with his family, and he was looking so well.”
Following the game the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service area commander Michael Humphreys and Miles Stubbs made a presentation to Connor Cormack and Keith MacRae for their life saving efforts two weeks ago and commended all the players and officials from both teams for their invaluable contribution on the pitch.
The rescheduled match was won by Cabderfeidh 2-1.
