I was dead for 40 seconds before flying doctors saved my life

Keen cyclist John Potter owes his life to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and now he wants to repay the debt. Catherine Scott meets him.
John Potter with his wife Andrea. John was involved in a serious accident in September while out cycling, his life was saved thanks to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and is now being treated in the spinal injuries unit at Pinderfields Hospital. (Picture Tony Johnson)John Potter with his wife Andrea. John was involved in a serious accident in September while out cycling, his life was saved thanks to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and is now being treated in the spinal injuries unit at Pinderfields Hospital. (Picture Tony Johnson)
John Potter with his wife Andrea. John was involved in a serious accident in September while out cycling, his life was saved thanks to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and is now being treated in the spinal injuries unit at Pinderfields Hospital. (Picture Tony Johnson)

Cycling has never been more popular. The Tour de France in Yorkshire and British success at the London Olympics has seen a surge in the number of people taking up with the sport.

But along with getting fit and enjoying the countryside, cycling is a dangerous sport.

No one knows that more than father of four John Potter.

John Potter recieves physiotherapy from Emma Palmer in the spinal injuries unit at Pinderfields Hospital. (Picture Tony Johnson)John Potter recieves physiotherapy from Emma Palmer in the spinal injuries unit at Pinderfields Hospital. (Picture Tony Johnson)
John Potter recieves physiotherapy from Emma Palmer in the spinal injuries unit at Pinderfields Hospital. (Picture Tony Johnson)
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John had always been a keen cyclist, but having a family and a job meant he put it on the back burner. Then four years ago he got back into cycling again and along with the a group of friends founded the Alba Rosa Cycling Club in Leeds.

“We decided to put a racing team together. We trained at weekends and during the week cycling hundreds of miles and climbing up to 10,000 feet and we competed in events across Yorkshire,” explains John, 53, from Guiseley.

It was while taking part in one such competition last September that John’s life, and that of his family would change forever.

“As well as road racing there are a number of criterium races which are on circuits on airfields. I was taking part in such as an event at Dishforth Airfield in North Yorkshire.” John was on the final sprint finish of the race travelling at more than 34mph and in the top three of more than 30 riders.

John Potter recieves physiotherapy from Emma Palmer in the spinal injuries unit at Pinderfields Hospital. (Picture Tony Johnson)John Potter recieves physiotherapy from Emma Palmer in the spinal injuries unit at Pinderfields Hospital. (Picture Tony Johnson)
John Potter recieves physiotherapy from Emma Palmer in the spinal injuries unit at Pinderfields Hospital. (Picture Tony Johnson)
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“Someone touched wheels behind me, came off and their bike came under me. I flew up in the air and landed on my head and that’s about the last thing I remember until I woke up in hospital three weeks later.”

John suffered a cardiac arrest and fellow cyclists gave him CPR and made sure he wasn’t moved until the Yorkshire Air Ambulance arrived and defibrillated him.

“I died for 40 seconds. Those guys saved my life. David Morley gave me heart massage and kept me a stable position.”

What they didn’t know was that John had broken his neck and his back in two places. Any movement could have left him paralysed. Within ten minutes of them being called the Yorkshire Air Ambulance had been scrambled and taken John to the specialised trauma centre at Leeds General Infirmary. “They also saved my life,” says John, who suffered a broken back and neck, two punctured lungs and six broken ribs in the horrific collision and spent nearly a month in the LGI before transferring to the Yorkshire Regional Spinal Injuries Unit at Pinderfields Hospital. For John’s wife Andrea, herself a spinal injuries nurse, it has been a traumatic time. “I got a call to say John had been in an accident and I needed to get to the LGI. I had our two children, Joseph who at the time was eight and Faith who was 11, with me. When I got to the hospital I was taken into a side room and the doctor said that John had life threatening injuries. When she told me what they were I thought he was definitely going to be paralysed as I am a spinal nurse working in the community.” However an operation to pin John’s neck was successful, which meant they could then start to treat his other injuries. “It was an incomplete fracture which meant that it was likely John should be able to walk again,” says Andrea.

But there was a lot of hard work ahead of him.

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After nearly a month in LGI John was moved to Pinderfields hospital in Wakefield where he had to learn to do everything again from talking and eating to walking and dressing himself.

“It has been hard work, but all the staff her are amazing,” says John who was allowed home at Christmas and is hoping to be discharged from the hospital by then end of the month.

“I still have to think every time I do something such as picking something up or even walking. Things I would have done automatically before now become a conscious effort.”

According to Sister Clark, senior sister in the spinal injuries clinic John’s progress has been exceptional.

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“He has worked really hard and we are all really pleased at his progress.” Pinderfields is one of eight similar spinal units in the UK and involves a multidisciplinary team to ensure the best possible care for people with spinal injuries But as well as the physical challenges come the mental ones.

“You get a lot of time to think when something like this happens and you start to reassess your life, even your childhood. As well as all the physically stuff they have been fantastic with the psychological support,” says John. “It can also be very frustrating. For a long time everyone was worried that I wouldn’t get the use of my right arm back which is hard when you are right handed. But ultra sound showed there was no damage so I just had to work hard to get the message through my damaged spinal chord.”

John, who has two older sons to a pervious marriage, still has some limitation in his right hand and will continue to have physiotherapy. “I am desperate to go back to work, but I am weaver and dexterity is important. But I am very determined.”

John is also very determined to get back on his bike, not something Andrea is thrilled about, although he has promised her he won’t race again.

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“My fitness is what really helped me. I don’t think I would have survived if I hadn’t been so physically fit and I can’t face the idea of never cycling again.”

John and Andrea say they are indebted to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance which relies solely on donations to stay in the air.

“It is madness that the air ambulance isn’t paid for,” says John. “Cyclists ride in isolated places. The more popular cycling becomes the more demand there is going to be for the air ambulance.”

Andrea adds: “They saved his life and I cannot thank them enough for what they did that day. Without them I would not have my husband and the children would not have their father.”

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To say thank you to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance for saving John Potter, Leeds-based Alba Rosa Club organised an affiliated, eight-hour team cycling relay event at Dishforth Airfield last month. Nearly 100 people took part, in terrible weather conditions, cycling over 2,500 miles and helping to raise over £3,000 for the Air Ambulance.

Andrea Potter and their two children Joseph and Faith visited the scene of their father’s accident and got the chance to thank the air ambulance pilot who saved their dad.

The family now aim to carry out and annual fund-raiser for the air ambulance which costs £12,000 a day to keep in the air.

www.yaa.org.uk