The family of a great-grandma who collapsed and died after suffering a cardiac arrest believe she could have been saved had vandals not destroyed a piece of lifesaving equipment two minutes away.
Margaret Pickering had been with friends at Partington Working Men’s Club when she was taken ill.
Desperate attempts were made to revive the 73-year-old by club members Jessica Wallace, a nurse at The Christie , and Liam Ward, who desperately administered CPR before paramedics arrived.
Margaret was taken to hospital where she was put into an induced coma because her brain had been starved of oxygen.
The decision was made to turn off her life support machine and tragically she died nine days later.
Granddaughter Fay Wilson, 25, believes Margaret’s life could possibly have been saved had the defibrillator around the corner at Partington Shopping Centre not been out of action.
As our picture shows, the secure box containing the equipment was damaged by yobs at the end of March and was taken away until it could be replaced.
Paramedic David Blowers, who spent months fighting to have the defibrillator installed, warned the damage could put lives at risk.
He was unable to comment specifically on Margaret’s case but said evidence suggests that in an ‘out of hospital’ cardiac arrest, the chance of survival decreases by around 10pc for every minute that passes without defibrillation.
The equipment at the shopping centre was just a two-minute jog away, meaning had it been there, Margaret could have been shocked within five minutes.
Fay has now launched a fundraising campaign to replace the defibrillator box, which has already topped £500.
She said she had been upset and frustrated by what happened, and hopes to prevent something similar happening again.
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She said: “My nana would have definitely had a better chance of surviving had the machine been there. We had the equipment and someone decided to vandalise it. We need to raise awareness of how important these machines are so this doesn’t happen to someone else. Partington is a big community and it’s important that we have one.”
Margaret’s son, Paul Clayton, added: “Mum had been going to the club for more than 30 years and was really well known in Partington. She was bingo mad and played five nights a week. If we can get one box in her memory that’s great, but if we can get two – one at each end of town – then that would be fantastic.”
A game of stand up bingo will be held at Partington Working Mens Club on Friday after Margaret’s funeral, all donations from which will be towards the fund.
There will also be a family funday on June 26 at Partington Social Club to raise additional money.
To support Fay’s appeal visit the crowdfunding page on JustGiving .
