A WIDOW whose husband died on a bus and the man who tried to revive him said they have both found peace after meeting.
Sheila Smith, of Springbank, Darfield, lost husband Mike, 73, after he suffered a heart attack aboard the 219 from Darfield to Barnsley. She had been told a man had attempted to resuscitate him but had no idea who this was until an appeal was made to find him.
After being encouraged by friends and family, Trevor Buckley, of Morrison Road, Darfield, came forward and the Barnsley Chronicle arranged for the pair to meet.
Trevor, who learned how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from watching television programme ‘Lifesavers’ said he had been haunted by what he saw as his failure to save Mike, who collapsed onto him from the seat across the aisle.
"I wish I could have done more," he said. "It felt like I’d failed and I’ve had trouble sleeping because every time I closed my eyes I could see his face."
But Sheila, 72, said he was nothing short of a hero and should be recognised as such, as he explained how he spent 30 minutes attempting to revive Mike both before and after paramedics arrived.
"You were marvellous," she said. "You were with him and helping him and you can’t ask for any more than that. You’re a hero and it’s comforted us to know what you did. It’s really helped us."
Trevor said it was the first time he had performed CPR and ‘felt something take him over’ when he saw Mike collapse, though he said he hoped it was not something he would have to do again.
Another heroine remains unidentified, however, as Trevor said an elderly woman helped him get Mike into the aisle of the bus and held his head as he attempted to resuscitate him. Both Trevor and Sheila said they thought she deserved recognition for her bravery.
