BACK FROM THE DEAD

Mark Carrell has a mosaic of purple bruises across his chest - but that's a small price to pay considering he could have died twice last Friday.
Now recovering in hospital, the 53-year-old can't say enough for the trio of heroes who saved his life during an evening hockey match in Whangarei.
When the Rodney hockey player collapsed with a heart attack and stopped breathing, three bystanders leaped to his aid and started CPR - compressing his chest rapidly and breathing air into his lungs.
Whangarei policewomen Sergeant Vicki Allen and Constable Sue Barrell, with the help of Rodney player and St John volunteer Ralph Correa, managed to keep Mr Carrell alive after he stopped breathing twice during the seven minutes it took for an ambulance to arrive.
Today Mr Carrell, a former police officer with 28 years on the thin blue line, was recovering in Whangarei Hospital's coronary care unit and keen to thank the people who saved his life.
"They did it without hesitation ... I can't express my gratitude enough on behalf of me and my family," the Wellsford man said.
He also praised hospital staff for their excellent care.
He had no recollection of Friday night's drama, recalling only waking up in the ambulance.
Mr Carrell had replaced his 16-year-old son Wade on the left wing and had been on the turf for about five minutes when he collapsed. His other son Calem, 19, watched from his position as goalie.
"I touched the ball a couple of times. Then standing there I got a bit dizzy," Mr Carrell.
As his legs folded beneath him, the trio - now very reluctant heroes - sprang into action.
Mrs Barrell had been watching the game between Kamo High School and Rodney.
"I went over and he wasn't breathing. There was no pulse and no response," the nurse turned policewoman said.
"We started CPR and there was intermittent breathing ... we kept going until the ambulance arrived. It was a real team effort."
Ms Allen witnessed the collapse from the clubrooms. She ran downstairs, jumped the fence and helped with the chest compressions.
"We were there and he needed help. It was bucketing down with rain and we just kept going."
Teammate Mr Correa rushed to help his friend.
"He was already blue when I got to him ... I thought he was choking on his mouthguard. It was just instinct from then on. I've been trained to do CPR and just knew what to do."
"After a few minutes of pumping his chest he took a few breaths but it wasn't strong enough."
It's been a tough few years for Mr Carrell, who was diagnosed with cancer last year.
He won that battle - only to face death again.
"I'm too young to die yet. I know I'm pretty lucky and I had every thing in my favour on Friday."
He reckons his hockey playing days might be over, but he'll still be a familiar sight on the sidelines as an umpire.