May 10, 2024 – 1:00 PM – World
Youth coach Ali Bourfa (43) saved the life of Geert Van Praet (48) on Monday evening. The man suffered heart failure during a football match between parents and children at SK Londerzeel in Belgium. Ali first resuscitated him manually and then used the club’s AED resuscitation device.
Ali’s quick and adequate assistance was crucial. “He was unconscious and I didn’t feel a heartbeat. (…) His tongue was backwards and when I tried to clear the airway, he bit back out of an unconscious reaction. I put his head and body in the right position and then started CPR,” Ali said The newspapaer.
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“I called 112 and put my mobile phone on speaker. This way I could follow the correct rhythm during the resuscitation that the emergency services provided by telephone. I first performed CPR manually. That was very intensive. The resuscitation device, the club’s automatic external defibrillator, was called in. I applied the sensors and gave five to six shocks.”
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Geert Van Praet is stable and is being further examined in hospital. “We are extremely grateful to Ali and everyone who helped,” says wife Inge De Ridder. “He saved Geert’s life.”
