birminghammail.net
An Aston Villa fan’s life was saved when he collapsed during his team’s Bradford City cup humiliation.
Grandad Stephen Haden suffered a cardiac arrest in the Holte End minutes after Paul Lambert’s men took the lead through Christian Benteke on Tuesday night.
His family called his condition a “ticking timebomb” and said he was saved because trained lifesavers, fellow supporters and club stewards rushed to help during the vital match.
Carpenter Stephen, aged 56 and from Castle Bromwich, was yesterday being treated at Birmingham’s City Hospital.
The dad-of-four will undergo triple bypass surgery in the next fortnight.
His daughter Natalie, who was sitting next to him, said: “Villa saved his life. The doctors said it could have happened any time, anywhere. We’re really lucky that it happened where it happened. The head steward was brilliant. He calmed me down, saying ‘don’t worry, he’s breathing’, and even text me later asking how Dad was.
“I asked the doctors if it happened because of the goal but they wouldn’t say either way.
“They said it could have been that, but he had narrowed arteries and was a ticking timebomb, in their words.
“He was fine on the way to the game.
“We laughed and joked – we got in the car and drove there, and walked up to our seats. He was absolutely fine and, although he had suffered from high blood pressure, he had had no heart problems in the past.”
Rail industry project manager Natalie, aged 30 and from Bromsgrove, continued: “It’s the scariest thing I’ve seen. He just collapsed about five minutes after the first goal. I thought his back had gone but then I realised it was worse than that.
“I crawled under the seats and propped him up but he’s quite a big guy.
“I want to thank, through the Mail, the four or five fans who helped move him on to the steps. The guys at the ground could never have worked on him if they hadn’t got him out.”
Two members of West Midlands Ambulance staff quickly tended to former season ticket holder Stephen, alongside St John Ambulance volunteers.
Natalie said: “Football matters to us but I’ve never cared less about a football result, and I don’t think Dad cares either about this one.”
