On Sunday, July 29, I was cycling with my friends in the limits of Ħal Far Road when I suddenly fell to the ground unconscious.

I later got to know that a woman who was trekking in the vicinity saw what happened and directed some AFM soldiers to the site of the incident. I was informed that the soldiers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and assisted me until the ambulance arrived. They also took care of all my belongings.

I would like to express my gratitude to all the people involved, especially my friends who turned back to see what happened, to all the staff of Mater Dei Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department and the CCCU for their professionalism, dedication and assistance, which is one of a kind and to Dr Andrew Cassar and his team of doctors who treated me and helped me recover.

I am especially grateful to the woman who directed the soldiers to the scene and the ambulance and staff who happened to be there for a training session.

Also, I wish to thank L/Bdr M. Debattista and Sgt E. Chircop who were very prompt to assist me; they were instrumental in saving my life. Their assistance is highly appreciated and it is a credit to them and should be duly acknowledged.

After this experience, I feel that there should be greater awareness of CPR and more people should be trained to carry it out, seeing it is so instrumental in saving lives.