Stranger saves man who stopped breathing for six minutes after sudden cardiac arrest while playing football

A man who saved a stranger’s life by using a defibrillator after he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while playing football has encouraged others not to be “scared” to do the same, as prompt action can be the difference between life or death.

Marvin Joseph-Daay, 39, who lives in Hounslow and works at Gatwick Airport, said he felt “absolutely nothing” wrong before he collapsed during a football match at Sol Joel Park in Reading on December 14 last year.

The referee, Michael Mcdonaugh, started performing CPR until Richard Witt, 42, social inclusion manager at Reading Football Club, was called over to do chest compressions and give four life-saving defibrillation shocks.

Marvin has since been told he was unconscious for 22 minutes and without oxygen for six of those minutes, before Richard was able to regain a pulse and emergency services arrived to take over medical care.

Marvin was taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading and was placed in an induced coma, until he said he woke up “confused” and “shocked” on December 15.

Within two days, Marvin was fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), a device used to treat dangerously abnormal heart rhythms, before he was discharged on Christmas Eve.

Richard, Marvin and Michael were able to reunite on December 27 at a pub in Reading.

Marvin, a father-of-three, told PA Real Life: “I heard about what they had done and I just needed to meet them and say thank you.

“One thing I will say is my ribs were still really sore and I felt like I’d been in a ring with Mike Tyson.

“Then when I saw the size of Richard, I understood.

“I was definitely very, very thankful to them (after going through) an overwhelming experience where I was that close to death.”

Marvin had previously suffered a heart attack in 2019, aged 32, when he said he went to hospital after experiencing “burning” in his chest.

Diagnosed with heart failure and high blood pressure, Marvin said he was “overdoing” himself with two jobs at the time and coaching football, so he was prescribed daily medication to manage his condition.

“But otherwise, everything was quite plain sailing,” Marvin said.

“I felt healthy in myself, the pills were working and I was getting regular check-ups.”

Doctors encouraged Marvin to stay active, so he played as a goalkeeper for Englefield Eagles Football Club.

On December 14 2025, Marvin said he woke up and “felt great” before the game, including during a pre-match warm-up.

“I felt fit, healthy and ready to go,” Marvin said, “which is the most frightening part of the situation because I didn’t feel anything was off.”

Around 15 minutes into the game, Marvin collapsed with no warning.

Marvin said: “You think you’d get a twinge (of pain) or something or you’re not feeling well, but I had absolutely nothing.”

As soon as the referee noticed Marvin on the ground, he ran over to start CPR, while a bystander rushed to a neighbouring pitch to ask if anyone was a doctor and could help with an emergency.

Richard, who was a substitute player that day and who had not even planned to be there, ran over to assist because he is an employee of the football club who had completed multiple first aid and trauma-informed courses.

Within a minute, Richard said he “sprinted over” and arrived on the scene to Michael doing CPR.

Richard told PA Real Life: “Marvin was on the floor on his back, eyes wide open, not breathing at all.

“Everyone else was standing around not knowing what to do, panicking, crying on the phone to the ambulance.

“So I asked if anybody had gone for a defib yet.”

Within 90 seconds, Richard took over chest compressions and a bystander ran back with the defibrillator from the outside door of the pavilion.

After ripping Marvin’s shirt to apply the defibrillator pads to his chest, Richard said the device’s prompts were clear and concise.

“The machine is loud,” Richard said.

“It talks clearly, it gives you great instruction, it tells you when to stand back and it tells you when we need to recharge for the next shock.

“And we were talking to Marvin all the way through, even though he wasn’t awake.”

After four shocks, Richard said he was “relieved” to feel Marvin’s “very faint” pulse and the ambulance arrived three minutes later to take over the emergency medical care.

Richard recalled paramedics giving Marvin a shot of adrenaline to “spike his heart rate”, but he was told Marvin’s condition was still “50-50” so he was placed in an induced coma.

Marvin was admitted to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading and woke up 24 hours after his cardiac arrest.

“I was lying there with all these wires coming out and listening to the sounds of the hospital room,” Marvin said, of his first memory after waking up.

“I was a bit confused and shocked… it was quite traumatising to be honest.”

After having his ICD fitted while in hospital, Marvin was discharged on December 24 and has had physiotherapy and talking therapy to process what happened.

Marvin said: “I’m incredibly grateful to Michael and Richard for their fast thinking and what they did.

“I definitely feel very lucky that I’m able to walk out of that situation and I’m happy that these football pitches were equipped with defibs and somebody had the courage to use them.

“Otherwise I wouldn’t be here now,” he added.

According to the British Heart Foundation, there are more than 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year and fewer than one in 10 survive.

New research by the charity reveals 69% of football fans believe fear could stop them from using a defibrillator in the event of a cardiac arrest.

In response, Richard said: “People need to be aware that the (defibrillator) machines are not something to be scared of.

“Having more of them across the country will save lives, just like it did with Marvin’s.”

The initiative is part of Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation’s Every Minute Matters campaign, bringing together football’s “toughest ever” five-a-side team to tackle fans’ fears around using defibrillators. Sky Bet is also funding 400 community defibrillators over three years, helping improve access to lifesaving equipment for around 460,000 people across the UK.