A young TV producer says her life was completely destroyed after paramedics allegedly made a series of catastrophic mistakes during her cardiac arrest — including pressing the wrong button on a defibrillator while her brain was being starved of oxygen.
Meg Fozzard was just 26 years old when she collapsed inside her South London apartment in April 2019 after suffering a cardiac arrest caused by an undiagnosed heart condition.
Her terrified partner, Xander Font Freide, immediately called emergency services and began performing CPR while following instructions from a 999 operator.
But according to legal findings later admitted by London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, critical mistakes by ambulance crews delayed a life-saving shock to Meg’s heart by eight crucial minutes.
The delay left Meg with a severe brain injury and permanent disabilities that changed her life forever.
According to reports, paramedics initially struggled to find the apartment before arriving at the scene.
Even after arriving, crews allegedly did not believe Meg was in cardiac arrest despite warnings from the emergency dispatcher.
A defibrillator reportedly showed Meg had a deadly heart rhythm that required an immediate electric shock.
However, paramedics had attached the wrong equipment to the machine — using monitoring leads instead of defibrillator pads — which prevented the device from properly alerting them.
Then, officials admitted, crews pressed the wrong button on the LifePak machine itself, delaying emergency shock mode for another four minutes.
By the time Meg finally received a shock to her heart, eight minutes had passed.
The oxygen deprivation caused devastating brain damage.
Now 33 years old, Meg struggles with speech problems, fatigue, brain fog, involuntary spasms, reduced dexterity, and requires the use of a wheelchair.
She later sued the ambulance service and received an undisclosed settlement after officials admitted breaches in their duty of care.
“It’s almost impossible to find the words to describe the physical and emotional impact,” Meg said.
“At first I had no idea, but as the severity of my brain injury became more apparent, the realization started to sink in.”
Meg explained that before the cardiac arrest she was fiercely independent, frequently traveling and working around the world.
“I’d gone from being independent to being reliant on others,” she said.
“I even struggled to tell people what I needed because of my speech.”
Her partner Xander also described the horrifying moment he realized something was seriously wrong.
“She became extremely pale,” he recalled.
“Meg’s eyes were open but she wasn’t responding to me talking to her.”
“When they arrived, I was just hoping they’d help Meg, but everything seemed confused and chaotic.”
Despite the devastating injuries, Meg has slowly fought her way through recovery with the help of speech therapists, physiotherapists, and occupational therapy funded through the settlement.
Against the odds, she can now stand for up to an hour, has improved cognitively, and even returned to work part-time as a freelance producer focused on disability rights.
She also revealed she has started learning to swim again and participates in aerial sports.
Still, Meg says she remains haunted by the care she received that day.
“However, I’ll always be upset at the care I received when I was in desperate need,” she said.
London Ambulance Service later issued a public apology.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Fenella Wrigley admitted the care “did not meet the standard we expect” and said changes were implemented after an internal review into the incident.
This young lady (Meg) is a fighter. May God bless and keep Meg by improving her journey in recovery.