Hitchhiker saved by mystery motorist and dentist after suffering heart attack
Catherine Forman, 57 is recovering from a recent heart attack - Credit: Archant
A woman was saved by a mystery driver and her dentist when she suffered a heart attack after hitching a lift to work.
Dr Mody from The Valentine Dental Health Centre in Ilford who helped save a woman's life. - Credit: Archant
Catherine Forman, 57, from Barkingside, has “two knights in shining armour” to thank after their quick thinking helped save her life.
During the Tube strike, Catherine had decided to try her luck thumbing a lift because the buses were so packed.
She got a lift from a kind stranger in an olive green Nissan Micra at about 8.30am on February 5, but once in the car, she experienced a pain in her chest, breathlessness and loss of vision.
With traffic at a standstill and a trip to the hospital looking unlikely, the driver stopped at The Valentine Dental Health Centre, Cranbrook Road, Ilford – amazingly, the surgery of Dr Hitesh Mody, Catherine’s dentist.
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He used his medical kit and knowledge from a DVD on emergencies in the surgery, to provide vital first-aid.
Catherine said: “I had two knights in shining armour, one I could thank and one I couldn’t.
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“It was Dr Mody whose speed and calmness really prevented me from having any worse after-effects.
“I phoned to express my eternal gratitude.”
The dentist administered aspirin and a spray containing glyceryl trinitrate which helps the heart to pump more easily while they waited for an ambulance to arrive.
Catherine was taken to Whipps Cross Hospital and is now recovering at home.
But she is still searching for the mystery driver who delivered her to safety.
She said: “It does feel as though he helped save my life because the quicker you get medical attention the less damage is done to your heart.
“Obviously I’d just really like to thank him and just say how amazing it was that he kept calm.”
Catherine remembers that a child called Harry was in the back of the car and she believes the man lives in Ilford.
The driver was Asian, slim and about 5ft 9ins.
n Are you the mystery driver or do you know him? Call 020 8477 3858 or email molly.kersey@archant.co.uk.
