A TEENAGE boy whose life was saved by a school first aiders after his heart stopped is out of an induced coma and getting ready for a heart operation next week.

John Gray, 14, a student at Clacton County High School, was put into an induced coma in a specialist hospital after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest while at the school, in Walton Road, on Tuesday afternoon.

The first aiders rushed to John’s aid and re-started his heart using the school’s defibrillator within two minutes.

John’s mum Mandy Piper, from Clacton, had thanked the first aiders for saving her son’s life.

John had been transferred to the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, where he was placed in an induced coma on Tuesday.

Ms Piper said following a series of tests, John was awoken from the coma on Wednesday.

She said: “His now responsive and with us on and off.

“He is doing well at the moment and will be hopefully having heart operation Tuesday.”

She said her son has been diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a heart condition that causes the heart to beat abnormally fast for periods of time.

Ms Piper has now appealed for all schools to install a defibrillator.

“I can’t stress too all parents how important it is for all schools to have a defibrillator,” she said.

“My son would be dead if this life saving machine was not at the school.

“We need to pull together somehow and make this happen at every school.

“I’ve not had time to read many messages but it’s clear how much this has affected parents and children.

“We send our children to school expecting them be safe.

“In this case my son was in very safe hands of Clacton County High School.

“They invested in a defibrillator which saved my son when he died of a heart attack.

“We need to do something support our schools get funding to make sure all schools and nurseries are equipped with this machine.

“My son is alive, but what about the next time someone’s child suffers same situation.”

Chris Taylor, Clacton County High School’s head of school, praised all those involved in helping John, including two first aiders involved in the CPR as well as two others involved in liaising with the ambulance service.