Charlie Wyke happy to return after Cardiac arrest
Charlie Wyke suffered a cardiac arrest in training in November last year, but made his return for Wigan Athletic against Birmingham City last week
Charlie Wyke says Christian Eriksen’s return to action following a cardiac arrest last summer has inspired him to follow in his footsteps.
Wigan striker Wyke collapsed when his heart stopped beating for four minutes during a training session in November.
In an incredible twist of fate, Wigan manager Leam Richardson was first on the scene to perform CPR just two weeks after the management staff at the club had received training to learn how to perform the life-saving treatment.
Wyke has had a defibrillator fitted in his chest, akin to the one Manchester United midfielder Eriksen has, and made his comeback last weekend – coming off the bench to set up Wigan’s winner at Birmingham City.
It’s been a torrid nine months for the former Sunderland striker, who thought several times he was going to have to retire as a result of the hospital procedures he had to endure.
Wyke told Sky Sports in an exclusive interview: “It was the scariest day of my life. I was just training as normal and then, all of a sudden, I’ve woken up on the floor, my sleeves cut off, with five staff looking over me. I had no idea what had happened.
“The last thing I remember was walking over to the manager to tell him I was going to collapse but I couldn’t get my words out. I then found out later it was actually the gaffer who started the CPR process and got me breathing again.
“That journey to the hospital in the ambulance was so scary. When I got told it was a cardiac arrest I instantly thought my football career was finished. I was absolutely devastated.”
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Wigan manager Leam Richardson says medical training he received three weeks earlier helped him save Charlie Wyke’s life by performing CPR
Wyke was accompanied to hospital by Wigan club doctor Jonathan Tobin, who 10 years ago saved the life of Fabrice Muamba on the pitch at White Hart Lane.
Tobin back then was the club doctor at Bolton Wanderers, who Muamba played for. Tobin took over Wyke’s CPR from manager Richardson after arriving at the scene.