A SCHOOL bursar who saved the life of a schoolchild by performing CPR has been nominated for one of The Argus Community Stars Awards.
Christine Kidman had only completed a first aid course the day before young Harrison Lovett collapsed on the playing field at Peter Gladwin School in Portslade.
Now she is in the running for the Employee Of The Year Award, sponsored by Anti Graffiti Systems, having been praised by paramedics and Harrison’s parents who said he would have died without her intervention.
Christine spent 15 minutes carrying out chest compressions when Harrison, seven, fell ill while playing football.
His parents, Alex and Rachel Lovett, thanked her for her quick action and backed moves to have a defibrillator installed at the school in Drove Road, as part of The Argus Save a Life campaign, which is calling on schools, businesses and clubs around the county to get life-saving defibrillators installed.
Harrison, seven, had shown no signs of illness before his collapse and was later discovered to have an undiagnosed heart condition called hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.
He has had a device inserted into his heart to keep his heartbeat regular and is now doing well.
Mrs Lovett, 46, from Portslade, said: “Christine’s bravery and quick reactions have given us something we could never thank her enough for.
“Not only has she saved our son’s life but she gave him best the opportunity for a full recovery without any brain damage or other complications by her tireless and incredible 15 minutes of non-stop CPR.
“She is an amazing woman and one that needs to be recognised and celebrated.
Mrs Kidman, 40, said: “Above all we’re thrilled that Harry has made such a fantastic recovery. I would like to underline that it was a real team effort that day. A lot of people all made a vital difference in many different ways.”
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