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Emotional moment man is reunited with paramedics who saved his life
A 999 call handler has been reunited with the ambulance crew who saved his life when he was in the grip of alcohol addiction.
Barry had been a heavy drinker for around 40 years but his drinking had spiralled after he moved out of his marital home and onto a narrowboat in January 2019. He began drinking day and night and not eating and his health deteriorated.
In March 2019 he suddenly decided to stop drinking. But after 17 hours his body went into withdrawal and he became so ill that an ambulance had to be called. He was shaking violently and could not even stand up straight.
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His blood pressure was dangerously high and he felt like his head was going to explode. Paramedic Faye Preston and emergency medical technician Barry Hall arrived that fateful day and they were the first people Barry had ever told about the extent of his drinking.
He firmly believes that they saved his life with their caring intervention, making a huge difference at a time when he had reached rock bottom and setting him on the path to working for the ambulance service himself, as a 999 call handler. He is also passionate about speaking out to support others going through recovery, saying that everyone thinks people choose to drink but they don’t as it is a disease.
He said: “The ambulance crew turned up that day and it was the first time I told somebody the extent of my drinking. I believe their intervention saved my life and helped me get my life back on track for which I will be forever grateful.”
He has been to Chester Ambulance Station to visit Faye and Barry to say a personal thank you to them for the ongoing life-changing impact they made when they arrived to help him that day. An emotional video released by North West Ambulance Service shows a tearful Barry hugging his two colleagues who saved his life.
Barry was taken to hospital, saying: “The moment I stepped over the threshold of the hospital, the desire to drink left me.”
He was discharged two days later and began attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, going on to attend hundreds over the next few years. He focused on his recovery, having psychology and counselling sessions to help him with his recovery.
Talking about his deterioration into the grip of addiction, Barry said: “I had left my marital home, bought a narrowboat and moved onto it in January 2019. From this moment, I started drinking day and night and not eating.
“My alcohol consumption was spiralling and my health was deteriorating. I had not intention of stopping drinking. That was until 13th March at 10.13pm when little did I know, I had my last drink.
“Markedly, it was the same time of day my daughter was born. I am not sure what happened on March 14. I didn’t wake up that day planning not to drink but I went 17 hours without a drink.
“At that point, I had become so ill. I was with my sister and was deteriorating. We had to call an ambulance.”
Talking about his recovery, he said: “I kept myself sober by doing the things I needed to do to keep safe, not going to the pub, avoiding people who drink. For me, giving up alcohol wasn’t the difficult part. It was understanding why I turned to drink in the first place.”
After 18 months of sobriety Barry met his partner who he describes as an “amazing support” to him.
“She believed in me and when I started looking for work, she encouraged me to go for opportunities”, he explained.
Last summer, Barry was searching for a job which would enable him to give back, but he was struggling to find anywhere that would give him a chance.
“I was struggling to find anything as being 59 and open and honest with my recovery and addiction was proving to be a barrier”, he said.
Then Barry saw an advert for a job as an emergency medical advisor pop up on his screen and straightaway he knew this was the role for him. He worked hard to get through the selection process, undergoing extra blood tests to ensure he was able to do the job.
Speaking about his experiences to help others who are in recovery, Barry said: “When I got the job I was elated. North West Ambulance Service took the time to understand me as a person and saw a quality in me that I could make a good contribution to society. People in recovery do have value, they can make a difference and get a job.”
He said he absolutely loves the job, although taking his first call was daunting.
“I am keen to show people that you can turn your life around and get an amazing job, I am living proof of it”, he added. “You have to care about people in this job and I do. I try to understand the other person at the end of the line and put myself in their position.
“My experience has helped shape the call handler I am and my new role has played a tremendously important part in my recovery.”
Talking about Barry’s story, a North West Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “It takes courage to share a powerful story of personal experience, and this is exactly what 999 call handler Barry has done. He talks about being a recovering alcoholic, sober and in recovery for over three years, and how he has turned his life which involved securing a job within #TeamNWAS.
“He wants to help and inspire those struggling with addiction and show that life can and will get better if you want it to. Barry recently reunited with the ambulance crewmates Faye and Barry, his now colleagues, who he says saved his life and helped him get his life back on track, for which he says he will be forever grateful.”
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