Mum found long lost family after cardiac arrests

FOUND HER BIOLOGICAL DAD AND THREE HALF-SIBLINGS

- KATIE OBORN

MOTHER-OF-THREE Lisa Snopek was just 35 when she suffered three cardiac arrests in one day. There had been no indication that Lisa had any major medical issues before that day.

Lisa and her husband, Peter, were in London at the time, visiting family. The first emergency happened soon after they arrived. Peter had to carry out CPR on his wife when she had the first cardiac arrest, before emergency services arrived. Lisa was taken to hospital in London, but had two more cardiac arrests later that day, while in hospital.

Now aged 42, Lisa has a long scar on her chest from where medical staff operated, inserting an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) which keeps track of her heart rate.

If an abnormal heart rhythm is detected, the ICD delivers an electric shock, restoring a normal heartbeat. When Lisa was told at age 35 that she needed to have a defibrillator fitted, she was understandably shocked.