Pete "Shag" Shaw on road to recovery

Two weeks ago we reported that our good friend, Pete “Shag” Shaw, had been involved in some kind of accident while riding his motor cycle. We later heard that he’d been flown to the US for special treatment and had then returned home.  We heard various versions of events concerning Pete’s accident, but we now have a first-hand account from Pete as reported in the Royal Gazette (19th Oct 2024) in an article headed, “My time was up … they saved me”!  CLICK HERE to view the article.   

It turned out that Pete, after having had a coffee in Hamilton one afternoon with some of his mates, had got on his bike, and he suddenly collapsed at the side of the road.  Pete doesn’t remember anything about the actual fall, but luckily for him, “Ricardo Lamb, an employee of the City of Hamilton, and Devena Lightbourne, a caregiver, were among several people who responded with cardiopulmonery resuscitation techniques” which no doubt helped to save his life.  

Pete remembers nothing of the actual incident but he’s since met with Mr. Lamb and spoken with Ms. Lightbourne and they’ve provided him with their accounts of what happened. 

The article in the Royal Gazette provides much more detail about what happened that day, after they later interviewed Pete about the circumstances of his collapse and his subsequent treatment.  Pete always keeps himself fit but prior to this incident he had suffered  from a heart condition called arrhythmia, which is an abnormal heart rhythym.

Following several days in King Edward Hospital after his collapse, Pete was treated in Boston and was fitted with a pacemaker and a  combination defibrillator.

Pete has always maintained a good level of fitness, including taking part in the New York Marathon and in the Rocky Mountain relay in Colorado, and he plans to start exercising again soon.  His fitness no doubt helped Pete to survive this serious incident, and as he says in the Royal Gazette article, “People should try to exercise as much as possible to maintain fitness. I’m not saying you have to do a lot but you got to do something to keep your heart going.” 

Good advice indeed.

We wish Pete a speedy and full recovery.