"We Moved to Lanzarote and It Saved My Life" - Shawn´s Story, Three Cardiac Arrests, One Miracle Recovery

Shawn and Clare’s Lanzarote story is one of new beginnings, community spirit and a remarkable fight for survival. After moving from Kent to Lanzarote less than a year ago, Shawn suffered multiple pulmonary embolisms that caused his heart to stop three times. Thanks to the rapid response of his wife Clare, and emergency teams in Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, he is here today to tell the tale.

Q: Shawn, you worked in the Emergency Services in Kent. What made you decide to leave the UK and move to Lanzarote?

Shawn: It wasn’t a planned “let’s move abroad” decision. A friend owned an apartment here and we’d been visiting Lanzarote for years, sometimes three or four times a year. We loved the island and kept coming back. As time went on, life changed, and we found ourselves thinking more seriously about making the move.

Clare: Ten years ago, moving abroad wasn’t even on our radar. We were perfectly happy in the UK. But over time things in the Uk worsened and Lanzarote just felt more and more like home.

Q: Why Lanzarote specifically?

Clare: Because we’d already fallen in love with it. We’d explored the island, made friends here and knew the lifestyle suited us. It wasn’t a case of choosing between countries—it was always Lanzarote.

Q: Has island life lived up to expectations?

Clare: It’s exceeded them. We absolutely love it and have zero regrets. Even after everything we’ve been through this year, there hasn’t been a single moment where I’ve wanted to leave and go back to the UK.

Q: Can you talk us through what happened in February?

Clare: Shawn had been feeling unwell for a few days. He was tired, breathless and just not himself. We planned to go to hospiten that morning if he still felt bad.

Shawn: I have always liked to keep fit, and for a week before i realized afterwards i was struggling with basic things, but at the time i thought i had a virus

Clare: He was sitting outside while I was in the kitchen when I heard a thud. His phone and glasses had fallen to the floor and he’d collapsed in his chair. I called an ambulance immediately.

The ambulance arrived within minutes. By the time we reached Hospital Doctor José Molina Orosa in Arrecife, Shawn suffered a cardiac arrest. That’s when everything changed.

Q: What did doctors discover?

Clare: They found multiple pulmonary embolisms. His heart and lungs went into failure and he suffered three cardiac arrests. Later we learned his first cardiac arrest lasted around 20 minutes.

He was stabilised in Lanzarote when a team travelled here from Gran Canaria with an ECMO machine that he was placed on. Following that he was airlifted to Gran Canaria, where specialists operated on him and he began his recovery.

Q: Shawn, how difficult was it hearing afterwards that your heart had stopped three times?

Shawn: It was frightening. I didn’t realise how serious it had been until much later. When I woke up, I was told i’d been airlifted to Gran Canaria, i had lost around a third of my muscle mass and was incredibly weak. The doctors were amazed by how much my body had been through. I don’t think you can explain how it feels until you’ve been through something like that.

Q: Alot of people talk about experiencing white lights, tunnels etc, what can you remember?

Shawn: Nothing at all.

People ask me that all the time. The best way I can describe it is like a light switch being turned off. There was no pain, no fear, no tunnel, no white light. Just nothing. Then eventually the switch slowly came back on again.

Q: Clare, what was it like going through that experience in a foreign country?

Clare: Terrifying. But the support we received was unbelievable.

We hadn’t lived here long but the amount of people who contacted me, offering help, touching base, was incredible. Friends drove me to airports, accompanied me to Gran Canaria, looked after our dog and checked on me constantly. Some of these were people we’d only known for a short time. The kindness was incredible.

The medical teams were also amazing. They were honest about how serious Shawn’s condition was, but they were compassionate throughout.

I was told to expect the worse, it was very upsetting seeing him when he was in the induced coma in intensive care. They told me he was very poorly and they really didn’t know if he would survive, we just had to wait and see how his body responded.

Q: How has recovery been since then?

Shawn: Slow but positive. I was in Gran Canaria for exactly a month before i was able to come home. I’m still not 100%, but I’m getting there. I’ve had follow-up appointments, scans and tests, and the care has been excellent.

One small clot caused a tiny stroke affecting part of my vision, but overall I’ve been incredibly fortunate considering what happened.

Q: Have you made any lifestyle changes?

Shawn: Not because anyone forced me to. Funny enough, since everything happened I haven’t really wanted a drink. 

I know that it could of happened to anyone but, I listen to my body now.

Looking back, I noticed I was getting breathless walking up hills just a week before everything happened. If something doesn’t feel right, get it checked.

Q: What keeps you positive?

Shawn: The fact that I’m still here. I’ve been given a second chance. 

Q: Looking back, do you think moving to Lanzarote happened at exactly the right time?

Clare: Absolutely.

Shawn: If this had happened in the UK, honestly, we would not be having this conversation. The speed of the ambulance response, the treatment, the specialists and the follow-up care were extraordinary.

Clare: There were so many moments where things could have gone differently. I happened to be home when Shawn collapsed. I heard him fall. The ambulance arrived quickly. Everything lined up at exactly the right time.

Q: If the medical teams in Arrecife and Gran Canaria were reading this today, what would you say to them?

Shawn: There are just no words, i’ve thought about this, thank you just doesn’t feel enough.

You didn’t just help me—you saved my life. There aren’t really words for that.

Clare: From the ambulance crew to the intensive care teams in Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, every single person played a part in bringing Shawn home.

We’ll never forget what they did.

Shawn: I would like to express my gratitude to everyone involved. From Clare making that initial call, the call taker, the ambulance, the emergency team in Arricife Hospital, the helicopter crew, the ECMO team and the medical staff in Gran Canaria.