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A quick-thinking teenager who saved her mum from cardiac arrest brought on by the shock of the morning alarm is urging others to learn CPR.

Melissa Doyle learned the life-saving skill at school just months before her mum Clare's heart stopped as she pressed the snooze button at their Lisburn home.

The 38-year-old had stopped breathing, but her determined daughter carried out CPR on her mum for almost five minutes until police arrived with a defibrillator and were able to shock her back to life.

The 14-year-old Fort Hill Integrated College student was taught CPR by school nurse Eileen McConnell using the British Heart Foundation NI's Call Push Rescue training kit - which is free to secondary schools across Northern Ireland.

And Clare credits Melissa's training with saving her life.

She said: "We were told at the hospital that if Melissa hadn't bought me time and done CPR immediately I wouldn't be here now.

"I'm so proud and grateful to her."

Describing the events of that morning, she added: " On Friday, August 4 I woke up like any other day.

"Melissa had slept beside me the night before and as my alarm went off I pressed snooze to go back to sleep. The next thing I knew I was waking up in intensive care.

"As I'd pressed snooze I had had a cardiac arrest. Melissa heard me making a gasping sound. She thought I was snoring and then she realised something was wrong.

"She tried to wake me up but couldn't. She then shouted for my husband when she realised I had stopped breathing.

"My husband called 999 and they wanted to talk him through CPR but he couldn't do it. Melissa said, 'I've learnt this in school let me do it'.

"So straightaway she and my husband got me off the bed and onto the floor and got on with it and started doing chest compressions. Melissa did CPR for a good five minutes before police arrived with a defibrillator and then the ambulance arrived.

"I dread to think what would have happened if Melissa hadn't been sleeping next to me that night. It was just meant to be."

She has also praised both the school and British Heart Foundation for giving her daughter the skills needed to save her.

Clare added: "If it wasn't for Melissa learning CPR in school thanks to her school nurse and the BHF NI kits I might not be here today.

"It's so easy to learn and I'm so grateful that Melissa was taught it at such a young age."

Eileen McConnell, the school nurse who taught Melissa CPR at Fort Hill Integrated College, has also commended Melissa's bravery.

She said: "We are so proud of Melissa and the courage she displayed. Fort Hill promote the Call Push Rescue programme on a continual basis within the school’s curriculum and take pride that the entire school, both staff and pupils, have the opportunity to engage in the training."

New figures released by BHF NI show that 85% of people surveyed in Northern Ireland would be reluctant to perform CPR on someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest.

Half said they would be afraid of causing more harm than good, while most (48%) of the remainder said they just don't have the skills to do it.

But every year, there are over 1,400 cardiac arrests in Northern Ireland, and even more devastating is the fact that less than one in 10 survive.

Having these skills and being able to perform them can almost double someone's chances, as every minute without CPR or defibrillation can reduce a person's chance of surviving a cardiac arrest by around 10%.

Jayne Murray, Head of BHF NI, said: "Most people think that if they had to perform CPR it might be a stranger in the street but actually most cardiac arrests happen at home and it's your mum, dad, child or sibling whose life will hang in the balance unless you act quickly.

"Melissa's brave actions saved her mum's life. She is a credit to her family and her school and we are incredibly proud she learned these lifesaving skills through our Call Push Rescue training.

"We need everyone in Northern Ireland to learn this life-saving skill to give them the confidence to step in and give CPR when someone collapses after a cardiac arrest. It could mean the difference between life and death."

To help BHF create a nation of lifesavers, or find out how you can teach CPR in your school, workplace or community group click here .

A survey of people in Northern Ireland found:

- Only 36% would feel confident giving CPR to a stranger

- Just 18% were able to identify the two signs of cardiac arrest, ie when someone is not breathing or not breathing normally, have collapsed and are unresponsive