Sean Purcell Travels from Melbourne, VIC
In 2014 Sean’s life changed forever! Clinically dead for 45 minutes; he was saved by a group of strangers.
Gifted a second shot, Sean is on a mission to live a life of purpose, aiming to encourage and inspire thousands to do the same!
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 with 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 - 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 his coma. Sean’s wife and family were told that if he was to survive, he would be severely brain damaged.
After 5 days, Sean woke up, miraculously with no brain damage, and was ready to begin a new chapter in 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, Sean remained inspired by the sacrifice of the strangers on the beach that day and was able to rebuild his life, regain his health and fitness and pursue the hopes and dreams that he had set before his accident.
Sean’s next step was to find and thank his heroes. 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 guardian angels 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 group of strangers that changed everything.
In his dynamic and engaging presentation, Sean highlights the beauty of life, how capable we are when faced with adversity or 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 capitalise 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.
Keynote Titles
- Life of Purpose
Testimonials
Sean Purcell was the guest speaker at our empower program event at The Gordon. Sean’s story of survival after collapsing on the beach is truly amazing! Sean has used this life changing event to impact and inspire others. Sean was a highly effective communicator, extremely engaging, and a polished speaker. Sean had a natural ability to connect with the audience his passion was infectious. Sean’s story highlights how we can use adversity to catapult us to success; his story was unforgettable and impacted all of us in the room.
Amber Beasely, Beauty Therapy Department, The GordonSean Purcell was the guest speaker at our Men’s Retreat for Brain Cancer. Sean’s life changing story was a source of inspiration and hope for the men attending our retreat who were also facing life changing circumstances. Sean’s friendly demeanor, professionalism and humility shone through during his presentation and all of our guests found him to be very relatable. He delivered his talk in a very engaging manner and his level of sincerity and sensitivity to his target audience ensured that it was a huge success. There was not one person in the room that did not thoroughly enjoy and gain empowerment from Sean’s talk - It was a talking point at breakfast the following morning. I would highly recommend Sean as a guest speaker for any event and we look forward to having him return next year as a guest speaker for our National Women’s Retreat for Brain Cancer.
Rebecca Picone, Director - Peace Of Mind Foundation
A very powerful and engaging presentation that impacted everyone in the room. The feedback and discussion amongst staff following your talk have been really positive. From what I’ve heard staff gained valuable insight into themselves, their views on life, and their career choices. The two questions you provided at the end of the session have certainly got people thinking. Thanks again Sean for your inspirational presentation.
Tim McDonald, Manager - Customer Service & Council Business, City Of Greater Geelong