Man saves pregnant girlfriend's life after realising her 'snoring' was a heart attack

Magnus Kviske, from Sweden, was frightened for his partner's life after she suddenly suffered a heart attack in their bedroom. He said he was 'like a machine with only one goal. Keeping Maja alive'

A man has recalled the frightening moment he realised his pregnant girlfriend was having a heart attack.

Magnus Kviske, 49, from Sweden, was reading in bed with his partner Maja, 36, when she suddenly fell asleep. He became concerned when she began making strange noises and started to breathe "heavy". The 49-year-old said his instinct "kicked in" and he alerted emergency services before he administered CPR. He "cried and called" for her to wake up as he began to fear the worst for his girlfriend and unborn child.

Magnus, who is an actor, opened up about the alarming ordeal and said: "She started breathing heavy, laboured breaths, with just a slight snoring sound. I knew something was wrong, I just felt it. Some strange instinct kicked in and I grabbed Maja’s phone from the bed and started to call emergency services.”

Magnus put the phone on speaker and started to give Maja CPR. He said: “When the operator answered, she confirmed quite quickly that I should continue with the CPR. By that time, I've also got Maja down on the floor.” He performed CPR on her for 11 minutes as the operator told him it could be a heart attack. He said: “I was like a machine with only one goal. Keeping Maja alive.

“But the more time that passed, the more worried I got. I did compressions and inhalations, I cried and called for her to wake up. But the operator was with me the whole time and wanted me to count out loud and talk to her too. She did everything for me to keep it together in order to help Maja in the best possible way.”

Finally, an ambulance arrived. Magnus said: “Eventually the care team arrive and people pour into the apartment. Some take care of me and some put away furniture to make more room for Maja. And for the first time I probably really realise what's going on and I break down while they run the defibrillator on her.”

At this point, he was convinced she had died. “I believed I had lost my love and our unborn child," he said. "But after a while, a man comes over to me and says that she is breathing and has a pulse.”

Maja was rushed to the emergency room where she was worked on some more as Magnus waited nearby. It was confirmed she had suffered from a heart attack. He added: “As the days went by, she started to wake up but would fall straight back asleep. I started to worry that her body had been damaged and maybe she’d never be herself again.”

But she finally woke up and looked at him. The doting boyfriend recalled: “Really looking at me. She sees me. Maja is back. It was the best moment of my life. To hear her and meet her gaze.” She was then transferred to the cardiac intensive care unit where they both stayed for 11 days.

Maja had an ICD implanted, a small device which can treat people with dangerously abnormal heart rhythms, otherwise known as a pacemaker. Then they were allowed to go home. He said: “During this time, we also had an early ultrasound as they wanted to check that the baby had made it.

“Luckily, it turned out to be okay, we were so happy when we got to see the baby's little heart beating. The happiest moment despite all the crap that happened.” In the beginning, Maja's short-term memory was completely gone, but it started to come back after a few days.

He said: “I remember not wanting to go home. I was terrified that it would happen again and how would I be able to sleep in the room where it all happened? It felt overwhelming.” But the couple have made it through a tough few months. "Maja has been a rock in all of this. She has moved on with strong legs despite everything she has been through," he said.

"She is my hero! The fact that the child survived and has been doing well is something that helped us a lot. We have been able to enjoy it.” The incident happened in April and they are due to have their baby in November.

He added: “We have always had a strong relationship but now we have been welded together even more. We have a bond that cannot be broken. But lastly, it feels so important to me to convey how important CPR is! It saves lives and we are living proof of that.”