After years of enjoying the adrenaline rush of off-road motorsport, 54-year-old Wayne Foxall from Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury, decided to slow things down in search of a safer hobby. He took up metal detecting in 2024. But despite stepping away from high-risk activities, nothing could have prepared him or his family for what would happen just a short walk from home.
On the morning of Sunday 24th March 2024, Wayne headed out to Lyth Hill with his metal detector as he often did. It was a crisp but sunny day, and he wrapped up warm before setting off. While he doesn’t recall much from that morning due to memory loss around the event, he later learned from his partner Anita that he had mentioned feeling out of breath.
Despite never usually asking for help, Wayne called Anita – a rare moment, as she almost never has her phone to hand. In a stroke of luck, she answered immediately. By the time she reached him minutes later, he had collapsed at the side of a rural road near the farm.
As fate would have it, a nurse named Claire was nearby walking her dog. Hearing Anita’s cries for help, she secured her dog in the car, rushed over, and immediately began administering lifesaving CPR.
The remote location made the situation even more urgent. Emergency services dispatched two land ambulances to the scene and, due to Wayne’s deteriorating condition, both the Cosford and Tatenhill Midlands Air Ambulance Charity crews were also deployed. Wayne was extremely agitated and unresponsive. Dr Jon Bingham, part of the critical care crew from Cosford, was able to place Wayne in an induced coma before he was airlifted to Royal Stoke University Hospital.
There, Wayne underwent emergency treatment for a Right Anterior STEMI (a severe type of heart attack) caused by a total blockage in his artery. He remained in intensive care for 11 days and spent nearly three weeks in hospital before being discharged.
Wayne had unknowingly been living with signs of serious heart issues for some time – experiencing dizzy spells, nausea, and high blood pressure. Diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia in his twenties, he had changed his diet drastically, even going vegan in 2019 to lower his cholesterol levels. Despite his efforts, the underlying condition caused a cardiac arrest that nearly cost him his life.
Wayne says the physical recovery was tough, but the emotional impact was even harder. He suffered severe throat pain due to intubation, memory loss, and lingering anxiety, but through sheer determination he gradually regained strength. By July, he was back at work as a driver trainer – a recovery his medical team describe as “miraculous.”
The experience changed his outlook on life. “I don’t stress about the little things anymore. I’ve cut down to a four-day work week to spend more time with Anita. We’ve been together for over 20 years, have two amazing kids – 18 and 20 – and we’re finally getting married this July. It won’t be fancy, just meaningful.”
Wayne has since visited our Midlands Air Ambulance Charity airbase and headquarters to thank the critical care team in person and is now bravely sharing his story to help raise awareness.
“The Midlands Air Ambulance Charity team,and Claire, gave me a second chance at life. They’re worth their weight in gold.”
Every second counts. Midlands Air Ambulance Charity relies on public support to continue attending to critically ill and injured patients across the region. To help save more lives like Wayne’s, visit midlandsairambulance.com/donate
