Paramedic Retires After 39 Years Reunited With Woman Whose Life He Saved
By Community Correspondent
A London Ambulance Service paramedic was given an emotional send-off as he retired after almost 40 years – joined by the woman whose life he saved seven years ago.
Andy Goldfinch finished his final shift at Hillingdon Ambulance Station on Monday after 39 years on the frontline.
Among family, friends and colleagues celebrating his retirement was Rachael Eckley, whose heart stopped outside a café in 2019 while Andy happened to be nearby on his day off.
Describing the moment as "fate", Andy rushed to help alongside a waitress, performing CPR until Rachael could be taken to hospital.
She made a full recovery despite the odds, with fewer than one in 10 people surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
The pair have remained close friends ever since.
Rachael said: "I'm here today because Andy stepped in and saved my life. Everything could have ended in that moment, but he gave me back my future – my children, my memories, my ordinary days."
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Andy said saving Rachael's life remains the proudest moment of his career.
During nearly four decades with the London Ambulance Service, Andy responded to some of the capital's biggest emergencies, including the 7/7 bombings, the Grenfell Tower fire and the Covid-19 pandemic, when he attended 170 cardiac arrests in a single year.
He also helped deliver hundreds of babies and even assisted the same mother with the birth of two children years apart.
Reflecting on his career, Andy said what he will miss most is the people.
"The ambulance service is like one big family," he said.
Although retiring from full-time work, Andy hopes to continue working occasionally as a paramedic at film sets and public events, while spending more time with his family.
London Ambulance Service Director of Ambulance Operations Darren Farmer thanked Andy for his "incredible service" and wished him a long and well-deserved retirement.
