Cricket turf turns 'emergency room' in Kerala: How doctors saved a youngster's life

What began as a routine evening at Sporteker Turf in Kerala's Kuttanellur in Thrissur quickly turned into a life-or-death situation when 32-year-old KT Subeesh, a native of Cherppu in Thrissur, suddenly collapsed while waiting for his friends. On the adjoining court, a group of doctors from Jubilee Mission Medical College, most of them cardiologists, were playing cricket. The team included Dr Manoj Ravi, Dr N Arun, Dr Shyam Shankar Varma, Dr M Shuhaib, and Dr Midhun Chacko John.

Witnesses said panic spread immediately as Subeesh fell to the ground. The doctors rushed to his aid and began administering CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation), pressing nearly five centimetres deep on his chest to keep his heart beating. An ambulance was called in, but it took almost 25 minutes to arrive. During this time, the doctors took turns performing CPR without pause, despite some onlookers raising doubts about their efforts.

Once the ambulance reached the scene, Subeesh was rushed to Jubilee Mission Medical College, with two doctors continuing CPR en route. At the hospital, tests revealed a 90% blockage in a major artery supplying his heart. An emergency procedure was carried out immediately, saving the life of Subeesh, the only son of his parents.

“This is my second chance at life. I would have died if not for these doctors. I can’t even imagine it,” Subeesh told us, still recovering from the shock. “Their hands felt like God’s hands that day,” he added, holding the doctors’ hands tightly. Subeesh, who has now partially regained consciousness, is expected to be discharged soon after a full recovery.