The drummer for The Christians has expressed profound gratitude, stating he feels “so lucky to be alive” following his collapse on stage at a recent festival.
Lionel Duke suffered a cardiac arrest during the On The Waterfront festival held at Liverpool’s Pier Head in June.
Medical personnel swiftly responded, rushing to his aid as the Liverpool-based band performed ahead of Sting’s headline performance. Mr. Duke was subsequently placed in an induced coma in intensive care.
The 58-year-old shared with the BBC, “Everyone thought I was going to die. I’m still in shock about what happened but I feel blessed I’m still here.”
The band, known for their Top 10 hit in 1988 with a cover of the Isley Brothers’ “Harvest For The World,” had performed only two songs before Mr. Duke’s medical emergency.
The concert was immediately paused as he was transported to a local hospital.
The father-of-two reflected, “Fortunately for me, I was in the right place at the right time.”
“Everyone thought I was going to die. They were working on me for 12 minutes.”
“An off-duty nurse stated that I wasn’t going to make it. I think now how lucky I was.”
He further added, “I still get emotional thinking about what happened.”
“It’s a lot to take in. I feel so lucky to be alive.”
Mr. Duke received CPR on stage from medics associated with the Merseyside Water Rescue (MWR) charity, as well as assistance from members of the audience, following his collapse.
He was subsequently admitted to Liverpool Heart & Chest Hospital, where he remained for eight days.
The drummer, who also works as an appliance fitter, stated, “I’m so happy to be back on my feet.”
“I’m surprised that it happened to me – there were no warning signs or I missed the warning signs.”
“I have the occasional flashback and think what if this happened or what if that had happened.”
“But I really can’t remember much of what happened. But now I wake up in the morning, and think it is so nice to wake up.”
Former The Police frontman Sting extended an invitation to the band to perform at London’s Hammersmith Apollo on October 28, following Mr. Duke’s recovery.
Mr. Duke, who has been employed by John Lewis for 15 years, noted that Sting “gave me a hug” during their backstage meeting.
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