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THE current Miss England is behind a Prince William-backed quest to change the law to make CPR training part of the school curriculum.
Milla Magee, 24, opened up for the first time about her two grandfathers, who each died after suffering fatal heart attacks, meaning that – heartbreakingly – she never got to meet them.
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Her paternal grandfather Nile Magee, who ran a windows business, had a cardiac arrest aged 53 at home in 1988.
He died during an hour-long wait for an ambulance to reach his home in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, while a relative – who was not trained in first aid – watched in horror, with no idea how to help him.
And Milla’s maternal grandfather, former RAF Flight Lieutenant John Saltmarsh, 62, a father-of-two, had a fatal heart attack while making a cup of tea at home in Windsor in 1998.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, she said: “It’s a tragedy to think that my paternal grandfather in particular could have been saved if the family member had been equipped with the life-saving knowledge of CPR.
“It’s hard – I definitely missed growing up without the presence of grandparents.
“Not having them around means I have always been someone who wanted to listen avidly to stories about them.
“That tragic story that I grew up with inspired me to learn first aid skills so in that – if I was faced with a similar situation – I would know how to save life.
“That’s why I am so passionate about keeping them alive and turning a tragic story into an inspiring one, to encourage younger generations.”
Her mum Katrina Russell, 56, told how John’s sudden death when she was 29 – was “awful” especially as her mum Shirley then “died of a broken heart” a year later aged just 62.
Katrina said: “I feel so bad for Milla because they were wonderful people that she sadly never met.”
Determined to honour her late grandparents after their untimely deaths, Milla, a keen surfer and trained lifeguard, went on a first aid course aged 16 – and has put her skills into practice on a few occasions.
And since winning the title of Miss England in May she has used her platform to call for other children to learn CPR at school and urge them to take up first aid courses.
Her Go Far With CPR initiative – which sees her speak in schools and communities about the importance of first aid – has also won praise from Prince William this summer.
He visited a beach in her hometown of Newquay, Cornwall, and told her: “We are all rooting for you.”
Now – after launching her petition to make training mandatory in schools via Change.Org this month – Milla hopes to meet with lawmakers to “turn awareness into action.”
Milla – who will compete in Miss World in February – added: “Anyone who’s been through or lost someone to a cardiac arrest knows they can be here one minute and gone the next – just like my grandfathers.
“And CPR is a lifelong skill that defies age and language – it could save someone.
“Even though they’re not here, my grandparents are with me in my heart and I hope they’d be proud of me with what I’m trying to do.
“It might sound weird but I talk to them often – I tell them ‘whatever Im doing is for you.’”
