The cardiac arrest survivor has praised off duty lifesavers for bringing him back to life after he died at Mollymook Beach on February 28.

Now, the “sun is shining every day” for the 57-year-old, who thanks his lucky stars for being in the “right place” when disaster struck.

“I am the luckiest guy in the world, if I had of died 400 metres either side of that club, I would have been gone. I don’t take anything for granted, every day is a great day and the sun hasn’t stopped shining,” he said. 

“I couldn’t have been in a better spot, if I had of been anywhere else I would have been gone.”

Keith Claxton and Fiona Gray came to Mr Crome’s aid following his collapse on a training run. They had just finished a morning training session themselves.

“I had no symptoms or signs leading up to it. I had run about three or four kilometres before it happened,” Mr Crome explained. 

“Surf club members were just finishing their training and they saw me fall down. 

“It was nothing out of the ordinary and then I went. It took them about 15 minutes to turn me around, and they shocked me with the defibrillator once. 

“The broken ribs from the CPR have been a major part of my recovery. But, that is OK, I am happy, I thank Keith for breaking my ribs to save my life.”

NSW Ambulance paramedics arrived on scene, taking him to Milton Hospital, before Mr Crome was transported to Wollongong Hospital, and then St George Hospital. Days later, he was operated on for a triple coronary artery bypass. 

“They started operating, then the alarms started going off,” Mr Crome recalled.

“They did the vein graft and put the clips on, but as they put me back together, my heart was so strong it blew the clips out.

“I had to go back in and they opened me up again. The second time they double-clipped everything and the same thing happened.

“Then it happened a third time later that afternoon and they made the clips even stronger. The job was good, but my heart was too strong. 

“My family was freaking out, they hadn’t seen me and they thought I was gone. At 11.30pm that night I got out of an induced coma and I had stuff hanging out of me everywhere, it was horrible.”

When he finally woke up, he felt “emotional, but confident”. 

“Even though I was uncomfortable the next morning, I felt confident,” Mr Crome said. 

“I got really emotional after that, thinking that I could have not been there for my family. My mates would visit, and when they left I would cry my eyes out.” 

Mr Crome is now completing rehab. He can now walk up to 45 minutes and is determined to complete his 41st City to Surf in July, which covers a 14-kilometre course. 

“I can’t walk for longer than 45 minutes at the moment and lifting things really knocks me around. It is a really long process,” he said. 

“I was in training for the City to Surf when I went into cardiac arrest, this year is my 41st year doing it and I won’t miss it. You don’t have to go break records, but I am going to get through it as a challenge.” 

Having led an active, healthy lifestyle, Mr Crome thought he was “invincible”. He has been in the fitness industry since 2000 and now owns a gym in Ulladulla.

“Apparently it is hereditary, which is where I am struggling. I do everything right, I have never smoked, I have always exercised. I thought I was invincible, you get to 57 and you’re still going so you think everything is good,” he said. 

“I knew my dad had a history, but I do everything opposite to my dad. You think, ‘What can go wrong if you are doing everything right?’.

“I know to do your health checks and everything, but at the end of the day, if you have a blockage, the only way to find out is with an angiogram. Who gets those done? They are pretty invasive.” 

Mr Crome will visit the heart surgeon again on Friday, but said “everything was working OK”.