Luton captain Tom Lockyer has revealed his heart stopped for two minutes and 40 seconds during an on-pitch cardiac arrest that left his life in the balance.
Lockyer collapsed in the second half of Luton’s Premier League game against Bournemouth on December 16.
The 29-year-old was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator after he was hospitalised for five days following the shocking incident.
Wales defender Lockyer, who also collapsed during Luton’s Championship play-off final victory against Coventry last season, spoke about his near-death experience prior to his club’s 2-1 defeat against Manchester United on Sunday.
“It was just a normal day, and that was the most worrying thing because I felt completely fine,” he told Sky Sports.
“I was running towards the halfway line and I went really light headed. I thought I’d be ok in a second but I wasn’t.
“I woke up and the paramedics were there. I knew instantly it was different to my collapse in May. Last time it felt like I woke up from a dream, and this time I woke up from nothingness.
“I could see there was more panic and I was a bit disorientated. I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t move. I was trying to work out what was happening, and I remember thinking, ‘I could be dying here’.”
– Lockyer recounts –
Lockyer was eventually revived after two minutes and 40 seconds that threatened to end his life.
“I could feel them put the drip in my arm and it was a hard mix of emotions. Eventually I came round and I was able to speak and to respond. When I felt ok, it was then a relief I was alive,” he said.