Took my first cruise earlier this year 13 days in Southeast Asia on Mein Schiff (TUI). We joined to surprise my partner’s parents, who were celebrating retirement, along with their uncle and his partner.
A few days in, we were having evening drinks when the uncle started rubbing his chest and arm. He said he was fine, but something didn’t feel right, so I walked him toward reception to find the ship’s doctor. Just as we got there, he went into cardiac arrest and collapsed.
Luckily, a nurse and a surgeon happened to be nearby and jumped into action doing CPR until the ship’s medical team arrived. They got him stable, and he was later transferred to a hospital on Koh Samui where he made a full recovery.
A few days later, we were invited to meet the captain and medical team on the bridge. The ship’s doctor, who was retiring after 40 years, said he’d never seen a heart attack survivor get help so quickly and in the right place at the right time.
It definitely changed how we experienced the cruise, but I’m just grateful he’s alive and I’ll never forget that trip.
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