Ginny Long, who was just 16 at the time, saved the life of her dad Andy five years ago (Picture: Ginny Long)

A teenager saved the life of her dad when he suddenly collapsed in front of her moments after they got home from a camping trip.

Ginny Long, who was just 16 at the time, had just returned home to East Sussex with dad Andy after a weekend at the VW Festival where his band, Coldshot, was performing.

His daughter, who is now 22, told Metro.co.uk: ‘We drove back to our flat and Dad was just taking the trolley with all our camping stuff out of the car when suddenly he just dropped onto the floor face-first.

‘He’d literally just said as we were arriving home that it had been one of the best weeks of his life and then… it happened.

‘There was no warning and he hadn’t been feeling ill while we were away, or had any symptoms.

‘I knew it was bad and went to call 999 but realised I’d left my phone in the car. I had to turn dad over onto his back by his belt so I could get to his pocket to get the car keys.

‘I ran to the car and grabbed my phone – I was panicking a bit but at the same time I just kind of went into autopilot because I knew he desperately needed me to help him.

Ginny ended up performing CPR on her dad for around 20 minutes (Picture: Tim Bekir / British Heart Foundation)

‘I shook dad’s shoulder but he didn’t respond at all. Because Dad had a history of heart problems, I knew it was something to do with his heart and was pretty sure it was a cardiac arrest.’

When she called 999 the call handler told her to start CPR, and talked Ginny through how to do it.

Although she had no training in CPR, she said she’d ‘seen it on TV’ and it ‘just kicked in’.

‘At the time I had no idea how long I was doing CPR for, but a neighbour ran out to help and we took it in turns,’ added Ginny, who is now a support worker at autism charity Aspens.

‘Later on in the hospital doctors told my dad that me and the neighbour had been doing CPR on him for about 20 minutes each – a long time but I had no concept of time when I was doing it.

‘All I knew was that I just had to keep on and try to bring him back… because the alternative wasn’t an option.’

Andy was put into an induced coma for three weeks after his cardiac arrest (Picture: Ginny Long)

Paramedics arrived and took him to a medical helicopter which was waiting at a nearby beach, and took him to Conquest Hospital in Hastings.

While she travelled separately from her dad to hospital, she remembered ‘fearing the worst’.

When she arrived alongside her family, she found he had been put into an induced coma, which lasted for three weeks.

Andy, now aged 65 and a retired BT electrician, told Metro.co.uk: ‘I’d obviously been on a lot of drugs, so when I first woke up I was having horrendous hallucinations.

‘While I was in the coma I also had to have a tracheotomy – which I why I still have a really croaky voice now.

‘I couldn’t speak at first so the only way I could communicate with anyone was by slapping my thighs.’

He stayed in hospital for a month and had an ICD fitted, and also later had stents fitted after an major aortic aneurysm was discovered. He said he is much better now, but struggles with energy levels and had to give up work.

‘When doctors and nurses told me what Ginny had done to save my life I couldn’t imagine what she went through, and I still can’t – she was only 16 at the time,’ Andy added.

Ginny said she was glad to be able to do what she did (Picture: Tim Bekir / British Heart Foundation)

‘When I talked to Ginny about how she’d managed to do it she was just really matter of fact and said: “I didn’t have a choice, you’re my Dad and I wanted to do everything to make sure you were still here.”‘

Now five years on, Andy has nominated his daughter for a Heart Hero Award from the British Heart Foundation.

‘I’m very proud of her – I wouldn’t be here talking to you now if she hadn’t done what she did,’ he said.

‘When I found out about the Heart Hero Awards I decided to nominate her for a CPR Hero Award – she did such a fantastic job and I wanted other people to know what she did.

‘I wanted to do something more than just me saying, “Thank you,” because that just seem enough.’

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Ginny, who said she suffered from PTSD after what happened, added: ‘Dad made a good recovery and he tells everyone we meet what I did and how I saved his life.

‘He’s just so proud and there’s not a single person he’s met who hasn’t then told me how amazing they think I am.

‘I don’t think about it, I’m just glad that I was able to do what I did and that dad is still here with me – we’re closer than ever.’

Ginny is one of the nominees being celebrated ahead of the British Heart Foundation’s Heart Hero Awards ceremony, which is taking place on December 6 at Glaziers Hall in central London. The ceremony will be attended by a star-studded guest list including Pippa Middleton, Vernon Kay and David Seaman, among others. Support the BHF this Christmas at this link.

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‘All I knew was that I just had to keep on and try to bring him back… because the alternative wasn’t an option.’