A Suffolk woman is appealing for help as she attempts to trace the men who potentially saved her father’s life after he collapsed in Ipswich.

Horst Schanz, who lives in Wherstead Road with his wife Sylvia, fell in Cardinal Park last Wednesday morning after feeling unwell.

His daughter Heidi Schanz said a pair of men stopped to help the 76-year-old and, despite her father’s protestations, one insisted he go to hospital.

And it was there doctors discovered blood clots in Mr Schanz’s lungs which would otherwise have gone undetected.

Now he wants to personally thank the men who came to his aid – but has no idea who the compassionate strangers are.

Ms Schanz said her father had been taking his sister-in-law to catch a coach when the incident happened.

“He was a little bit hurried and got out of the car and had nothing to grab on to and just went down.

“These two guys came to help him. They were both really kind. One guy had to go to work and the other guy went and got paper towels and cleaned him up.

“My dad was saying ‘Get off to work, I’m OK’. The man said he was going nowhere and called an ambulance and stayed with him until the ambulance took him away.”

Ms Schanz said her father had diabetes and a triple heart bypass, and that he had been feeling unwell for some time but tests had not been able to find the cause.

She said: “We all thought it was going to be his heart. We presumed it was heart failure or could be a heart attack so to find out he had clots on his lungs was a shock.”

Although still in hospital Ms Schanz said her father was now OK and, while “not quite out of danger”, he was “moving in the right direction”. Mr Schanz’s family are now keen to locate the two men who helped, one described as black and in his 20s and the other as white and in his 30s.

“He’s overwhelmed by their kindness and just wants to thank them,” Ms Schanz said. “He’s really grateful. They were both lovely and really kind. The hospital said it was this act which potentially saved his life.”

Do you know the men who helped Horst Schanz? Call Edmund Crosthwaite on 01473 324836 or email edmund.crosthwaite@archant.co.uk