A Dagenham & Redbridge FC fan who had a seizure at the club’s FA Cup tie has praised his fellow supporters for their quick response.
Upminster man Kevin Roome, 41, who has epilepsy, fell over and hit his head - briefly losing consciousness - in the last few minutes of the game against Salford City on Monday night (November 8).
Play was halted after a young fan ran onto the pitch to raise the alarm, with paramedics and stewards rushing to Mr Roome’s aid before carrying him away on a stretcher for further treatment.
To the fans around him in the stand, Mr Roome said: “Thank you very much for making the stewards and staff aware and alert what was happening.
"Because it was obviously quite a decent attendance as well, and with all the cameras there, so being able to alert someone and get something like that done was really impressive."
Mr Roome also thanked players from both teams for their reaction, and the stewards and medical staff for coming to his aid.
"I haven’t seen it back in TV coverage or anything but by the sound of what my friends have said, they were very, very quick," he said.
"And all the messages on Twitter say how quickly the Dagenham and Salford players and staff got over and had a look."
While still nursing a sore and bruised head, Mr Roome said he otherwise felt well after spending yesterday recovering.
He added the quick response would have been particularly vital in a more serious medical emergency, or if he had suffered a worse head injury.
"It’s not always going to be epilepsy," Mr Roome said.
"If it’s a heart issue, they’ve got to be there as quick as possible - fortunately this one wasn’t."
The Daggers fan said the last thing he remembers was a shot on goal hitting the post as the home side, trailing 1-0, pushed for a late equaliser.
When he "came to", the stretcher was in front of him but he didn't immediately realise where he was.
“It took about half a minute before I totally realised what was happening," he said.
Mr Roome, whose first seizure was about 20 years ago, was assisted before the medical staff arrived by friends who had seen it happen before.
To learn what to do if someone has a seizure, visit the Epilepsy Action website.
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