Only 10% of New Zealanders who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survive to hospital discharge - a rate that’s worsening. The Heart Foundation wants all high school students to learn CPR, and to have more defibrillators in the community. Both responses brought Eugene Tuhaka back from the brink.
Eugene Tuhaka couldn’t understand his breathlessness. Sport and fitness had always been a big part of his life, but he could now barely last a minute on the touch field. On December 9, 2022, the father of four was subbed back into a social game on the fields of Pukekohe Rugby Club.
He told a spectator that he was getting too old for such an effort, before running onto the field, moving to join the defensive line, and collapsing to the ground. What Tuhaka, who is now 52, thought might be asthma was actually angina - reduced blood flow to the heart. A blood clot had lodged in an artery, stopping the heart suddenly (a cardiac arrest ).
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