Full of Heart

Documentary on Newstalk

"Full of Heart" examines the extraordinary events of October 9th 2016, when mother of one Michelle Herbert from Newcastle West, suddenly lost consciousness while playing in the Limerick Junior camogie county final. ‘About five minutes into the second half, I just felt dizzy and I put my hurley out to steady myself and I collapsed," Michelle recalls of the incident. Suffering a cardiac arrest, Michelle lay unconscious as her family including her husband Jer and son Conor watched on as she clung to life. In that moment the game ceased to be, the roar of the crowd faded as the seriousness of the situation became evident. Both sets of players who had fought against each other over the previous 40 minutes now fought together – for Michelle's life. Tournafulla’s Sarah Jane Joy had been marking Michelle when she collapsed. As fate would have it Sarah Jane is a nurse and her training took over immediately. Acting on instinct she began compressions. As players, mentors and supporters from both parishes watched on, Sarah Jane along with the help of other teammates battled to save Michelle's life. “Full of Heart” was produced by Connie Broderick and Joe McGill and was supported by a grant from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, as part of the Sound And Vision Scheme.