A life-saving connection

Around 9am on a day in early July, Justine stepped outside her home to sit on the front porch and enjoy some fresh air.

But before she could even sit down, she had a seizure and collapsed, hitting her head and losing consciousness.

She lay there alone — until, by chance, passing postie Hayley Reid saw her and didn’t hesitate to help.

“I was driving down Guthrie St and I thought I saw someone. It was school holidays, so at first I thought it might be a kid just being silly,” Hayley said.

“But something didn’t sit right, so I did a U-turn and came back. That’s when I realised it wasn’t a kid, and it wasn’t someone mucking around — it was someone who really needed help.”

Hayley ran over to the home and called out through the door to see if anyone was home, but no-one came out.

She then noticed that Justine was having a seizure, so she called 000.

“Then she stopped seizing — but she wasn’t breathing,” she said.

“That’s when I knew it was serious.”

A bus came around the corner, and Hayley flagged the driver down. He stopped, got out, and she handed him the phone so he could speak to the 000 operator while she continued doing compressions.

“Compression, compression, compression — straight up,” Hayley said.

“Then she took a big breath, which was such a relief.

“I put her in the recovery position, but then she started seizing again. So, I let her go through that, but I kept my hand under her head so she wouldn’t scratch her face.

“Then she stopped breathing again, so we went straight back to compressions … It was all happening so fast, and I honestly have no idea how long it went for — but finally, the ambulances arrived.”

Justine doesn’t remember much of what happened — but she said that was quite normal after having seizures. She would know, having battled epilepsy for the past 10 years.

It’s a condition that has changed her life entirely, yet she continues to do her best to live through.

When she regained consciousness, she had no idea she had stopped breathing.

But when she opened her eyes and saw Hayley’s face — a stranger in bright yellow, gently holding her hand — she somehow knew this person had helped her in ways she couldn’t begin to explain.

“I’m just so grateful that she stopped,” Justine said, with a tear in her eye.

“So many people would have just kept driving, but she didn’t.

“She saved my life.”

This week, nearly three weeks after the incident, Justine and Hayley reunited briefly.

For Justine, it was a chance to thank the person who had saved her.

“Today has meant so much to me,” Justine said.

“I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for her.

“I actually hope other people can read about this, and it inspires them to stop and help if something doesn’t feel or look right — it can save a life.

“I’m also truly grateful to the bus driver who stopped and helped, too.”

For Hayley — who humbly said she was just doing what anyone should do — seeing Justine standing and looking so much better than the last time she saw her was a huge relief.

The pair greeted each other with a warm hug and chatted for about five minutes before Hayley had to return to work.

Hayley, who also works as a carer with Independence Australia, said keeping up to date with first aid was something everyone should prioritise.

“I’m just so happy to see her today, looking so much better and standing up,” Hayley said.

“Everyone should go and do their CPR and first aid — you just never know when you might need to use it.

“If you see someone in need — stop.”