Sean Purcell

Sean Purcell is quite simply one of the luckiest men alive. While on a morning run in his hometown of Torquay, Victoria - Sean suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, his heart stopped and he was clinically dead, left lying face first in the water. What happened next was a true miracle. Wasting no time, a group of nearby strangers came together and took immediate action, administering lifesaving CPR for more than 45 minutes. Battling the rising tide, poor weather and freezing conditions, Sean’s saviours were left facing what seemed an impossible task - bringing someone back to life that was completely unresponsive - not breathing and no detectable heartbeat.

Unwilling to give up on Sean the group worked as a team and sourced a defibrillator from a nearby Golf Course, placed the pads on Sean’s chest and hit the button. For the first time in 45 minutes Sean’s heart started and he began to breathe independently. With grit, determination and unwavering belief the strangers on the beach that day achieved what many thought was unthinkable - through their actions they gifted Sean a second shot at life!

Sean however was not out of the woods, transferred to the Geelong hospital he was unable to awake from coma. Sean’s wife and family were told that if he was to survive, he would be severely brain damaged.

After 5 days, Sean awoke from his coma, miraculously with no brain damage, as was ready to begin a new chapter of his life. With an unwavering sense of gratitude at the foundation of everything he did, Sean knew that his life would never be the same. Even though the incident had left him with heart complications and a prognosis of years of recovery and rehabilitation ahead of him, he remained inspired by the sacrifice of the strangers on the beach and was able to rebuild his life, regain his health and fitness and pursue all of the hopes and dreams that had been set before his accident. 

Sean’s next step was to find and thank the people on the beach that day. He posted a simple call for help on Facebook that instantly captured the imagination of hundreds of thousands of people!  The post was shared more than 180 thousand times, his story was broadcast on TV, Radio and in newspapers all over the world and within days Sean’s quest to find his heroes had become a reality.

Sean's story is a powerful reminder that life is precious and fragile. He is driven to make the most of his second chance and shares his story with thousands of people all over Australia. Inspired by his heroes, Sean’s keynote speech ‘Life Of Purpose’ walks the audience through the amazing events on the beach that day, highlighting the executive decision making that saved his life and the lessons that he has learnt from the sacrifice of the people he regards as his heroes. 

In his dynamic and engaging presentation Sean highlights the beauty of life, how capable we are when faced with adversity and opportunity and the importance of making the most of every day. He outlines the step-by-step process that he used to rebuild his life and challenges the audience to capitalize on their skill set in order to cultivate meaning and truly live a Life Of Purpose!

Sean Purcell is a captivating, polished, highly recommended Keynote Speaker and is available to speak at conferences, schools, corporate seminars and events Australia wide.