'I flatlined' - Incredible story of how a passport saved a life unfolds on RTÉ's Liveline

In this Friday's episode of RTÉ's Liveline, host Joe Duffy heard a story from friends Donnacada and Tony about how a simple golf trip in Spain, turned into a life-saving event.

Tony arrived at Dublin Airport to board for the trip with 20 others, but soon realised he had lost his wallet and passport. Unable to board his flight, he headed home.

However, his sister called him to say his passport and wallet had been found in the airport, so he returned to retrieve his items from the lost and found, and caught a later flight.

The group enjoyed their trip until the last day when Donnacada fell ill on the bus ride back to the hotel after playing golf. "I had to get off the bus for about 10 or 15 minutes, got sick and then got back on the bus again," he told Joe.

He added: "I went off to the pharmacist to get medication, came back to the room, and Tony, who was my roommate for the week spotted me having a seizure."

"The next thing was, I flatlined — I was having a heart attack".

Tony quickly performed CPR and called for help and another friend brought a defibrillator from the hotel reception: " I was about to head out, and he took a kind of a fit and just stopped breathing," Tony described. 

"I did a few chest compressions and I rang one of the lads, and they were there in two minutes. I just kept working on him and then two girls arrived up with the defibrillator and at this stage it was like being in a film," Tony recounted.

After receiving three rounds of shocks from the defibrillator, Donnacada survived.

Donnacada told Joe how he felt the situation was a stroke of luck — if Tony hadn't retrieved his lost passport, he wouldn't have been there to save his life.

It is said that Dublin Airport's Press Office is now trying to find the person who turned in Tony's passport and wallet.

The items were found in a bar at Terminal 1 and handed to the lost and found. Anyone with information is being asked to contact the daa.