Campbell, in his 50s, visited his family in Perth, Australia just a week ago. On Saturday he was at the playground with his children when he began to feel unwell and needed to lie down.
A passer by performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (heart massage), after which the sportsman was transported to the hospital and put into an induced coma. Ryan Campbell, coach of the Dutch cricket team, was in London for Easter with his wife, Leontina Campbell , and children to visit her mother.
Gareth Parker , Campbell’s friend and 6PR announcer broke the news Tuesday, his voice broken with tears: “What we do know is that Campbell was at the playground with his kids, when he then laid down on the ground and had trouble breathing , “he told listeners.
“Fortunately,” Parker continues, “a passer-by, a woman nearby, saw him and started performing heart massage right away. It’s quite extraordinary, he had just completed a course to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.”
When the paramedics arrived, about 15 minutes later, Campbell still had his pulse. He’s been in the hospital ever since.
Parker says Campbell was “healthy as a fish” and adds: “This news comes as a shock to his family and friends in Australia, who only learned about it on Easter Sunday.”
Parker explained that Campbell’s arrhythmia is controlled by a pacemaker: “Doctors don’t believe there is any damage to the heart, but they haven’t been able to figure out what’s going on yet.” He then added that another attempt will be made tomorrow to get him out of the coma.
Just six days ago, Campbell shared several images of his recent visit to Perth on Instagram after being blocked for a long time due to Covid’s border restrictions.
“It seems like I haven’t been home in my life, but the seven days with my family and friends have been great … Thank you Perth,” he wrote.
The incident of his heart attack comes after the death of cricket legend Shane Warne , who died last month following a suspected heart attack while on vacation on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand.