How I saved my father's life - and then discovered I had the same deadly condition

When Vic Allen had a cardiac arrest, his son Mike saved his life. They have since learned they both have the same heart condition. Mike tells us how the experience has made their relationship even stronger.

It seems so long ago, but it’s still so vivid. I was staying at my parents’ house in January 2015 – they’d just got back from a cruise – when Mum rushed into my room and said, “Your dad’s stopped breathing.”

They say in these sorts of moments you choose fight or flight. I guess I chose to fight, because I immediately called 999... Mike Allen

They say in these sorts of moments you choose fight or flight. I guess I chose to fight, because I immediately called 999 and they talked me through how to perform CPR – something I’d never done – until the paramedics arrived. I remember lifting him off the bed onto the floor. His body was lifeless.

Dad had six more cardiac arrests in the ambulance and when he finally arrived at hospital I was preparing for the worst. I was sick because I was so scared, but on the way back from the toilet I heard Dad cough. That noise was a tiny bit of hope in the bleakest moment.



Vic (above) is a regular on stage and sometimes performs with his son.

They made Dad stable, put him in a medically induced coma and took him to the intensive care unit. Dad and I are really close, so seeing him with all those tubes coming out of him was devastating. When it was time for us to go home and get some rest, I refused. I just said: “I don’t care, I’m staying.”

Four days later, while I was catching up on some sleep in an adjoining room, a nurse came to tell me they were going to try to bring him round. I saw him just as he was waking up. It was such an amazing relief – I thought he was gone.

Dad and I were close before, but we're even closer now. Mike Allen

Dad and I were close before, but we’re even closer now. And the fact that we’ve learned I have the same condition means we can deal with it together. We have inherited hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, where the heart wall becomes thickened and has to work harder to pump blood and can also cause life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms.

Learning about my condition really affected me and I got severe depression. But Dad was a rock. He told me: “I’ve come through it and so will you.”

A word from Vic Michael saved my life. If he hadn’t done what he did, I wouldn’t have stood a chance. Michael and I had a fantastic relationship before; I didn’t think I could love him any more than I did, but I do. He never left my side for one moment while I was in hospital. We have an inseparable bond that nobody will ever break.

Learn how to do CPR