As Queen’s marks 180 years, we are celebrating the countless stories in which the university’s influence is woven into lives across this region. Few illustrate that connection more powerfully than the experience of Queen’s graduate John Deery, a man who survived a sudden cardiac arrest at the Belfast Marathon thanks to instinctive acts of kindness, lifesaving innovation born in this city, and a legacy that reaches back to one of Queen’s most remarkable figures, Professor Frank Pantridge.

Roots and Roadways

John grew up on a small farm outside Derry, one of six children. The work was demanding, but his mother fiercely believed in the value of education and encouraged her children to “use it as wings to fly.” The message stayed with him.

As a young adult, John moved to Belfast, began working in a bank, and studied at Queen’s in the evenings, first for a BA in General Studies and later a Master’s in Organisation and Management. Those qualifications opened doors to a long career in financial services and helped build the foundations of his life in Belfast, where he and his wife raised their family. It was here, too, that John discovered a love of long-distance running that would shape decades of his life.

A Life Restarted

On a fresh May morning in 2024, John set out on the Belfast Marathon, surrounded by friends and familiar with every turn of the course. But thirteen miles in, at the Finaghy crossroads, he slowed, leaned against a barrier, and suddenly collapsed.

John remembers none of it. His heart had stopped completely. For six minutes, there was no heartbeat at all.

Yet the right people were in the right place at exactly the right time.

A cardiac nurse ran to his side, placed him in the recovery position and found no pulse. A police officer called 999. Spectators formed a protective cordon. A man driving through Finaghy by chance, who had withdrawn from the marathon earlier due to injury, recognised what was happening, retrieved a defibrillator from his car and began CPR. One shock restarted John’s heart.

The Legacy of the ‘Father of Emergency Medicine’

Long before that day, Queen’s physician Professor Frank Pantridge had transformed global emergency medicine by inventing the first portable defibrillator. His idea was simple but revolutionary: lifesaving intervention should begin on the roadside, in a home, or in any public space, wherever seconds matter most.

Born on a farm in County Down, qualifying in Medicine at Queen’s in 1939, and later joining its academic staff, Pantridge earned the title “the father of emergency medicine.” His invention has saved countless lives around the world.

A device conceived in Belfast by a Queen’s-trained doctor would ultimately save John on a Belfast road, a powerful reminder of how research and innovation ripple across generations.

Reflecting on Pantridge’s legacy, John said:

“That is what the defibrillator does, it gives hope. During CPR, in those crucial seconds, knowing a defibrillator is on the way keeps the first responders going. Frank Pantridge invented the defibrillator in this city. He trained at Queen’s. And all these years later, that invention saved me on a Belfast road. That is the legacy we carry forward. That is hope and history there.”

A New Purpose: Making Every Day Count

Since the marathon, John has returned to running, “a social runner now,” he says, and spends more time volunteering and with his family. He has also become a passionate advocate for improving community access to lifesaving equipment.

He supports the British Heart Foundation’s campaign to build a complete, verified map of public defibrillators across Northern Ireland. Many remain unregistered, meaning emergency services cannot direct callers to them during a cardiac arrest. John wants every school, sports club, village hall and community organisation to understand the importance of registering and maintaining their devices.

He also speaks powerfully about CPR training. These skills, he explains, can be learned in minutes and used by anyone. He has seen schoolchildren as young as ten master CPR in a single class period and believes widespread training could dramatically improve survival rates across the region.