Greg Page suffers from cardiac arrest at bushfire relief concert
Nurse Grace Jones was with her family in the audience at The Wiggles concert when Greg Page collapsed and then stopped breathing. With the help of crew members, she was able to revive him before paramedics arrived using CPR and a defibrillator.
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When Yellow Wiggle Greg Page collapsed on stage at a bushfire relief concert in Sydney, he stopped breathing and had no pulse.
But with the help of two of his crew members and nurse Grace Jones, who was at their concert with her family, they managed to help revive him using CPR and a defibrillator.
His bandmate Blue Wiggle Anthony Field held back tears as he described just how far gone Mr Page was.
“Greg was gone really,” he said after visiting him in Westmead Hospital on Saturday.
“He came off stage and collapsed – there was no pulse and there was no breathing.
“Luckily our wonderful drummer Steve Pace and Kimmy knew CPR and they really brought Greg back.
“And there was a nurse in the audience who put the defibrillator on him and brought him back.”
After seeing Mr Page collapse, Ms Jones, a registered nurse at Royal North Shore Hospital, approached a security guard and asked if they needed medical assistance.
“I just walked in and I was the only one there with any training beside first aid training,” she said on Saturday.
“So I started doing what I do at work. It’s a like a switch that you flick on in that situation.”
For 20 minutes, a defibrillator was used three times after Page lost consciousness at Castle Hill RSL Club.
When paramedic Brian Parsell arrived, Mr Page was unconscious but “miraculously” had cardiac output — his heart was still beating.
“It is only through the efforts of bystanders before we arrived that he is alive today,” Mr Parsell said.
“When I was on the stage, we had stabilised Greg and were just about to move, I said ‘who was the person that used the defibrillator?’
“And Grace stepped forward very anxiously and I said you need to be congratulated because you just saved this man’s life.”
After Mr Page was taken to hospital, Ms Jones comforted his parents before returning to her own.
Spotting the photograph of Mr Page in his hospital bed with his thumbs up, Ms Jones said she was relieved to know he was okay.
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Mr Field has vowed to re-learn CPR and said The Wiggles would have done things differently had they known how bad his condition was.
Far from the smiling persona onscreen, Mr Field was clearly affected by Friday night’s events.
”I did CPR training 30 years ago and it is all changed now,” he said.
“I have made a vow that I’m going to go and learn CPR again.”
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
From his hospital bed, Yellow Wiggle Greg Page asked his bandmates to go ahead with the second bushfire relief concert on Saturday night as he recovers from a cardiac arrest that almost claimed his life during a show on Friday night.
“He didn’t want to let all the fans down which is surprising considering he is in a hospital bed,” director Ben Alcott said.
“You would think he would be worried about his health. But he is the one who asked for the show to go ahead.”
The announcement that the show would proceed came as The Wiggles shared a post to their Instagram page to give fans and followers an update on Page’s condition.
“We’ve visited Greg this morning and he wanted to thank everyone for their well wishes. He’s so grateful for the messages of love and support from around the world.
I love this man, so glad he is still with us, CPR by Kimmy Antonelli and Steve Pace (our drummer ) help save Greg’s life. Please get up to speed with CPR, I definitely willThanks for all your support, tonight we will raise the roof for Greg,the Firies,Red Cross and WIREs https://t.co/1AHLuMFiNS
— Anthony Field (@Anthony_Wiggle) January 18, 2020
“Greg’s main concern was that the show tonight should go on. Let’s do it for Greg whilst raising much needed funds.”
Asked about The Wiggles going back on stage to perform the song Hot Potato after Mr Page collapsed, Mr Field said “we didn’t actually know how bad he was at that stage”.
“We wouldn’t have done that if we knew and we certainly wouldn’t be doing the concert (tonight) if he wasn’t on the way back,” he said after visiting Mr Page at Westmead Hospital.
“I will be very happy back on stage but I’m just sorry that I have let my guard down now.
“It’s frightening to see a friend in a bad way like that.”
Speaking outside Westmead Hospital, Wiggles manager Paul Field said Mr Page’s condition was very serious.
“Everything seems like it takes forever when you’re waiting for a paramedic,” he said.
“A nurse from the audience came up and took charge. Two of our cast – Steve the drummer and Kim who works in our office – did CPR on him. They saved his life.
“He stopped breathing a number of times. He was not conscious.”
Concertgoers were left shocked as the show was stopped as the stage curtain fell.
It was also revealed Mr Page’s shocked parents were in the audience and were led away by security.
Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins stepped in for Page after he fell down with the yellow Wiggle joining, Field, Fatt and Cook on stage to perform Hot Potato.
“Greg had walked off stage and that’s where he collapsed,” Brittany Buhagiar, 24, said.
“It was towards the end of the show so they had said their goodbyes then everyone started chanting for them to sing Hot Potato.
“They closed the curtains and said on the mic that Greg was not well.
“After he fell they continued performing. Anthony, Geoff and Murray and Emma did a quick rendition of Hot Potato.
“Then they said to everyone he is really not well. then they asked everyone to evacuate the hall.”
Thoughts, prayers & best wishes with wonderful Yellow Wiggle Greg Page following his heart attack last night during the Wiggles bushfire relief concert. Like so many, we had every VHS tape & knew every song thanks to our girls growing up with Greg, Murray, Jeff & Anthony. #NSWRFS pic.twitter.com/fGdN6sFEQA
— Shane Fitzsimmons (@RFSCommissioner) January 18, 2020
Mr Field said Mr Page was groggy but talking to him when he saw him in the coronary care ward at about 3am Saturday.
“He can’t remember much about it (the show) at all,” Mr Field said.
“But he is such a trooper. He asked me ‘did I finish the show?’
“I said ‘it was a bit of a melodramatic exit but yes you finished the show’.”
Update: At the end of the show this evening there was a medical incident off stage involving Greg Page. Medics were called immediately and he was taken to hospital where he is receiving treatment. We will provide more information as it comes to hand.
— The Wiggles (@TheWiggles) January 17, 2020
Mr Page is expected to be in hospital for at least another few days.
In 1991, Field was inspired to create an album of children’s music based upon concepts of early childhood education, and enlisted Cook, Page, and Fatt to assist him.
They began touring to promote the album, and became so successful, they quit their teaching jobs to perform full-time.
When Page left The Wiggles in 2006 due to ill health, he was replaced by understudy Sam Moran.
He returned to The Wiggles in 2012 but at the end of the year Page, Cook and Fatt retired and were replaced by Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce and Emma Watkins.
* Additional reporting by Campbell Gellie and Briana Domjen