A normal morning cutting a client's hair turned into a rush to save the life of a Chantry hairdresser after she suffered a heart attack at work.
Simone Edge was taken to hospital by her boss Sheldon Finch in his car after a call to 999 told them there could be a three-and-a-half-hour wait for an ambulance.
The pair were at work at SK Barbers, in Greenfinch Avenue, Chantry, on Saturday, March 26, when she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and went to sit down.
The hairdresser of 35 years said: "It started with a big sting in my shoulder.
"It was like having a tube of deep heat and someone had put the whole tube on my arm.
She called for her boss and found herself on the floor in pain, prompting Sheldon and a customer in the shop to spring into action.
Concerned about the possible wait time, Sheldon carried Simone down the stairs with her client's dad and drove her to Ipswich Hospital.
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said although the caller was advised three and a half hours, the call was prioritised and an ambulance deployed in 20 minutes but stood down after being told they were making their own way to hospital.
The mum-of-one said: "I would have died in the shop.
"He won't take any credit, he says 'it's what anyone would have done', he saved my life."
Simone was taken by a blue-lit ambulance to Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, for immediate surgery.
Sheldon made sure to alert Simone's family, including her 16-year-old son.
She said: "He's amazing. We work so well together, we're like Bonnie and Clyde, we bounce off each other."
The 49-year-old said she had been touched by the response from the Chantry community after seeing many messages wishing her a speedy recovery.
Simone is now resting for a six week period and is being cared for by her 16-year-old son, while juggling his GCSEs.
Sheldon, 31, said: "It was a bit of a shock to the system. It was a bit of a panic, to begin with.
"She started to call out for me, she was on the floor in agony. I could see that wasn't a panic attack.
"One of the customers rang the ambulance and they said it was going to be three-and-a-half hours. She would be dead by then. I said I would take her, and carried her out of the shop, I slung her over my shoulder and thankfully one of the customers helped or I probably wouldn't have been able to move her.
"Every traffic light we would get to was a red light. I had to keep her calm."
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We received the call at 9.33am on Saturday 26th March and although the caller was advised that the wait could take up to three and a hours given the current demand for services, this call was prioritised and we were able to dispatch an ambulance within 20 minutes.
“En route to the scene the caller rang back to inform us they chose to make their own way to hospital."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here