He was saved by a crew from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

A 41-year-old father, who was "clinically dead for 18 minutes", was saved after suffering a cardiac arrest when playing football at Goals in Portsmouth - despite having a “healthy” heart.

Sarah, Jon and their two children. | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

Jon Hewitson, of Waterlooville, collapsed at the side of the pitch on Monday 22 September 2025. Jon's teammates and staff members at the facility recognised he was neither breathing nor responding and began CPR.

Ambulance crews and a doctor and advanced paramedic from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance responded to the scene, who put Jon into an induced coma before transporting him to hospital by road ambulance.

Jon was sent for scans and fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) before being discharged home to his family. “They found that the heart itself is completely healthy. So, I still don't know why it happened,” Jon said.

“I'm so fortunate that there is no long-term damage. I have to be cautious, but I don’t want to live in fear of it. It's a bit of a cliché, but it's true: I’m more appreciative of everything; I live in the moment more often.”

Jon’s wife Sarah said: “It was a horrendous thing to happen. We're so incredibly lucky that he was in the right place with the right people.

“They had the field for the air ambulance to land, there were first responders nearby and the staff were trained in CPR – which the paramedics said was textbook and couldn't have been done any better.

“It's completely overwhelming to think about, particularly with what the alternatives could have been. We've now got this positive future to look forward to. I know it's part of the job, but we want to say a massive thank you for everything.

“Without them, Jon wouldn't be here. I wouldn’t have a husband, and our kids wouldn't have their dad.”

Sarah, Jon and their two children. | HIOWAA

In October 2026, the Hewitson family will be lining up for the mini and junior Great South Run, with Sarah taking on the full 10-mile distance, to raise money for the charity service. The family have already raised £555.

There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK where emergency services attempt to resuscitate each year, with a survival rate of fewer than 1-in-10.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance responds to around 500 cardiac arrest each year. The life-saving charity runs CPR workshops free of charge, available to local businesses, community groups and club.