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British widow launches defibrillator drive after husband’s sudden death in Lanzarote
Patricia Bartlett wants to install lifesaving equipment after hearing attempts to save Stuart from another island
A British widow is raising money to install defibrillators in Lanzarote after her husband died suddenly while working on the island. Patricia Barltett has launched Stuart’s Prevention Plan to fund the equipment and provide CPR training, after Stuart collapsed and could not be saved despite 45 minutes of resuscitation attempts.The campaign is now the focus of Patricia’s efforts, but it comes from the most painful personal circumstances imaginable. She was in a hospital in Gran Canaria recovering from surgery when she received the call that Stuart had collapsed in Lanzarote. Unable to travel, she stayed on the phone as people tried to help him.
“All I could do was stay and listen to the commotion in the background.”
Patricia and Stuart had lived in Lanzarote for years and ran businesses there. Months before his death, she had faced a serious intestinal perforation and was admitted for surgery in Gran Canaria. After being discharged twice from public healthcare, Stuart took her to a private hospital, where she finally underwent the operation and was fitted with a colostomy bag.
He stayed by her side throughout that difficult period. Patricia says she even told him he could leave her if he wanted to, but his answer was immediate.
“You are my wife. And you are beautiful,” she recalls him saying.
After her operation, Stuart returned to Lanzarote to attend to the couple’s businesses, while they kept in touch. Before leaving, he kissed her on the forehead and told her, “Get some rest.”
Then came the message that stayed with her. Stuart sent her words of encouragement, saying she was “brave and strong” and that he was proud of her. When Patricia tried to call him back, there was no answer. Hours later, one of his customers phoned to say Stuart had collapsed while working and that they were trying to revive him.
Medical staff carried out CPR for 45 minutes, but they were unable to save him, and a later post-mortem found he had suffered a heart attack linked to heart disease.
Patricia believes a defibrillator in the area could have made the difference. That is why she now wants to get more of them installed, along with training so more people are prepared to act in an emergency.
“I can’t bring Stuart back, but I can help others so they don’t have to suffer the pain and sadness that I live with every day,” she says.
For Patricia, the campaign is a way of turning grief into something practical, and possibly lifesaving, for others on the island.
Image: Facebook
