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Jack Healy, centre, with family and members of the APFS crew who helped save him in Dublin Airport. Claire Albrecht

Grateful family search for Dublin Airport 'Good Samaritan'

When 85-year-old Jack Healy collapsed outside Terminal 2, an American nurse stepped in to administer CPR. Can you help trace her?

THE FAMILY OF an 85-year-old man who was given life-saving treatment after collapsing at Dublin Airport are asking for help in tracing a Good Samaritan.

Earlier this week, TheJournal.ie reported that 19 lives had been saved at Dublin Airport since the introduction of on-site defibrillators there ten years ago.

One of those people who survived a cardiac arrest thanks to speedy intervention was 85-year-old Jack Healy. He collapsed outside Terminal 2 last September as he was on his way to a holiday in Sorrento, Italy.

A team of Dublin Airport Police and Fire Service personnel (APFS) attended to Jack within minutes and he has now made what his family have described as a “truly miraculous recovery”. He and his family recently made a return visit to Dublin Airport to make a presentation to the “marvellous” APFS crew in recognition of their lifesaving efforts.

Jack’s daughter Claire Albrecht has been in touch with TheJournal.ie to say that there is still one person the family have to thank for her father’s survival – and she is hoping TheJournal.ie‘s readers may be able to help. She says:

There is still one small gap in the story of his airport incident and we would really like to find out who initially started CPR on our father.

It turns out that Jack’s collapse was first spotted by a fellow passenger who administered the first phase of CPR. Claire explains:

This person administered CPR and started the chain of events which ultimately saved my father’s life and gave him back to us. They (the APFS crew) told us about this wonderful Good Samaritan and we would like to find out who she is.

All we know is that she is a nurse from America and that she continued on her way after through the airport (?) handing over CPR to the on-scene paramedics.

This is where your readers may be able to help me. She must have spoken about this incident when and if she returned to America or to her family/friends in Ireland. Somebody out there may know who she is. I would be so grateful to be able to find out who my father’s Good Samaritan is…

So there you have it: If you know a nurse, from America, who was either arriving or departing from Dublin Airport in the early hours of Sunday, 2 September, perhaps you could alert them to this article.

If you have information relating to the Good Samaritan – or if, indeed, it is you, email Claire.Albrecht@nuim.ie or email the author below who will pass on all correspondence.

As a happy endnote, Claire tells us that her father is now back at home. He spent two months in hospital from the day of his collapse, then spent a month in Claire’s home before finally getting back to his own home on 2 December – three months exactly to the day since he had set out for Dublin Airport. Claire says:

He is doing very well and is nearly as independent as he was before his cardiac arrest. He now also has his very own implanted defibrillator – an ICD (internal cardioverter defibrillator). The cardiologist in Beaumont Hospital calls him his ‘miracle man’ because of the truly miraculous recovery that he made.

(Main pic: Front row, l-r, Jack Healy, Claire Albrecht (daughter), John Healy (son); Second row, Siobhán Albrecht (granddaughter), Tony Shannon (APFS), Joanne Healy (daughter-in-law), Niamh Healy (granddaughter), Brendan Albrecht (grandson); Back row, Connor Healy (grandson), Paul Healy (son), Keith Pedreschi (APFS), Ciaran Curran (APFS) and Bart Cunningham (APFS).)

Read: 19 lives saved since introduction of defibrillators at Dublin Airport>

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    Mute DaMoons
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    Nov 30th 2019, 7:07 PM

    Again, the media pedal the Government story on average income being 51k. The most accurate statistic includes in the same report showed the median income (which represents 90 percent of the population) being less than 24k per year. A hell of a distance from the 51k figure the Journal and government are spinning.

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    Mute Brian Ó Dálaigh
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    Nov 30th 2019, 7:47 PM

    @DaMoons: while I agree there is a discrepancy, the figure quoted above is household income compared with your figure of individual income. Household income often combines 2 or more individual incomes as it is calculated based on total income divided by number of households, and not individuals.

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    Mute DaMoons
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    Nov 30th 2019, 8:15 PM

    @Brian Ó Dálaigh: Well, 2 incomes from the 90 percent quoted above still wouldn’t reach 51k. So it obviously points to 3rd and 4th earners living in the same household. Would it be a stretch for me to suggest that it is probably down to adult children not being able to afford somewhere to rent? FG were so proud of this statistic this week. Think about it.

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    Mute Brian Ó Dálaigh
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    Nov 30th 2019, 9:00 PM

    @DaMoons: I’d say you’d be pretty bang on the money (no pun intended) with that comment. The slightest bit of analysis into the figures and you’d wonder why Fine Gael would be proud of it. And, remember, these are average figures and not median figures which would far more accurately reflect the reality for the vast majority of people.

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    Mute Manbackonboard
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    Nov 30th 2019, 7:03 PM

    Constantly broke.

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    Mute StillNotNews
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    Nov 30th 2019, 8:00 PM

    @Manbackonboard: Same, Keep the recovery going, For TDs.

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    Mute SC
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    Nov 30th 2019, 7:06 PM

    With an average rent of 24k and childcare for one child 12k, that is just about enough for a small family. It’s not enough for two children.

    And assuming that’s the median, half of households have less. Is it any surprise we have a birth rate below replacement now?

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    Mute Finbarr Barry
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    Nov 30th 2019, 7:20 PM

    @SC: and they are quoting disposable income… I. E income after all expenses such as mortgage/rent, utilities et. Etc are paid…. What a load of BS

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    Mute Finbarr Barry
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    Nov 30th 2019, 7:23 PM

    @Finbarr Barry: https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/cso-figures-show-mean-disposable-income-is-now-almost-23000-967144.html

    CSO figures show average disposable income in 2018 was €23,000; 9.6% up on 2017

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    Mute Sos
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    Nov 30th 2019, 7:32 PM

    @Finbarr Barry: disposable income is income after government tax has been paid. Discretionary income is income after bills have been paid. Given the very high cost of living here I would expect that to be a lot less.

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    Mute Peter Hughes
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    Nov 30th 2019, 7:42 PM

    @SC: I’m delighted, we deserve it we keep voting for it……keep the rippoffs going lads there are legions of suckers who are stuffing your pockets full of cash and keep voting for you……dumb is an understatement.

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    Mute SC
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    Dec 1st 2019, 10:24 AM

    @Peter Hughes: the government has no power to interfere with the economy because it goes against EU rules in most situations (we can’t borrow to boost housing stock, we can’t subsidise rural industry to take pressure off the cities and keep our language alive etc) so it doesn’t make a difference who you vote for.

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    Mute keano
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    Dec 1st 2019, 10:37 AM

    @Finbarr Barry: no Finbarr I believe disposable incoming is your Income after Tax. Before Rent, mortgage, heat, light, etc etc. which would make it a lot more realistic figure and nothing to be proud of !

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    Mute Anastasia
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    Nov 30th 2019, 8:06 PM

    Spin spin spin the average wage is 20000 euro for a 38 hour week or am I working in the wrong place

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    Mute DaMoons
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    Nov 30th 2019, 8:36 PM

    @Anastasia: 90 percent of the people working in Ireland earn less than 24,000. This figure from the Government is pure spin.

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    Mute Brian Clancy
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    Nov 30th 2019, 9:06 PM

    @DaMoons: that’s rubbish anyway for a start

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    Mute John fitzpatrick
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    Dec 2nd 2019, 8:57 AM

    @DaMoons: so you are saying 90% are on minimum wage? Or are you saying that a huge portion of people are part time. What are you saying. What ever your saying it’s BS. But go , keep on plugging the SF agenda, 13% of the people believe you.

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    Mute Harry Trafford
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    Nov 30th 2019, 10:36 PM

    I work 50+hours a week. I’ve a wife and 2 kids. Council house and a car loan, I’m sure like alot of other houses. All I see is the weekly shop getting more expensive, insurance through the roof, more taxes. I’m not seeing any recovery around here. I’d dream of have 51k disposable income. I call bs on the whole thing. This ff fg government are a joke and need to be shown that we are done being fed lie after lie and tax after tax.

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    Mute Ro-your-nan
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    Nov 30th 2019, 7:43 PM

    All the poor-mouths on here – every pub in the country always seem rammed with people swallowing their disposable incomes down their fat necks. Drink less Irish-alcos and you might feel a little better off. Now I’m off to the pub

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    Mute SC
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    Dec 1st 2019, 10:26 AM

    @Ro-your-nan: I don’t think spending a few hundred a year on drink and a few hundred on electronics explains why people can’t afford ten thousand for childcare or 24k for rent… And my car insurance has nearly doubled even though I’ve never even had a penalty point so we’ll all be paying another grand for that soon enough.

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    Mute Ro-your-nan
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    Dec 1st 2019, 1:11 PM

    @SC: move out to Wicklow and don’t have a kid and you’ll be grand. Reckon people are dropping easily €10k a year (€200 per week) on booze. Look at all the snowflakes eating / drinking in town but they can’t save for a deposit.

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    Mute CJ Stewart
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    Dec 1st 2019, 10:28 AM

    ..well somebody must have disposed of my 51k without me seeing it !

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    Mute Michelle Keeley
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    Dec 1st 2019, 8:20 AM

    https://www.thejournal.ie/rish-workers-earn-an-average-of-e23-an-hour-4677090-Jun2019/

    According to the CSO, the average full time wage is approx €48000 and average partime €17000.

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    Mute Luap
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    Dec 1st 2019, 9:41 AM

    51k DISPOSABLE income? Hahahaha

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