Former hurler Stephen Keith thanks training partners for saving his life after cardiac arrest
Former Down hurler Stephen Keith says he would not be alive without the quick actions of training partners who performed CPR and used a defibrillator after he suffered a cardiac arrest. He spent nearly a month in hospital and now urges others to learn CPR. He has decided not to play hurling again for the sake of his family.
Keith, a 39-year-old father of two, collapsed moments after finishing a competitive exercise in a Portaferry gym. A nurse in the class began CPR immediately while others fetched defibrillators from the town, with his heart stopped for roughly 20 minutes before being revived. He was later flown to Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital, where doctors found a blocked coronary artery and inserted a stent, also fitting an implantable defibrillator as a safeguard.
The incident has reshaped his priorities. Though cleared for gym work, he has ruled out returning to county hurling with Down or his club Ballycran, citing the emotional toll on his wife and young children. He now advocates strongly for community CPR training and functional defibrillators, crediting those resources as the direct reason he survived.
This story could reinforce the importance of bystander CPR and accessible defibrillators in community settings, particularly for sports clubs and gyms. Keith's survival may prompt more organisations to audit their emergency equipment and more individuals to seek training. It may also resonate with amateur athletes who face difficult decisions about continuing sport after health scares, potentially encouraging them to prioritise family and long-term wellbeing over competitive ambitions.