|
|
Newsroom Chapter Blog
|
 |
|
Mar
13
3/13/2009 9:47 AM
Every 2 minutes Sudden Cardiac Arrest takes a life in the United States. Each day it claims nearly 1,000 individuals and at least 325,000 lives a year. These are people in your own communities: parents, siblings, co-workers, and friends. But it isn’t a lost cause.
In the last few months 4 extraordinary stories involving Sudden Cardiac Arrest come to mind. What do all four of these events have in common????
- December 15, 2008-a life saved at downtown manufacturing plant
- December 30, 2008-a life saved in Collinsville, IL
- January 3, 2009 a life saved at a fitness facility in West County
- February 2009-a life saved at a major employer in St. Charles County
But how?
- The four individuals were all performing normal activities of their day—working on the manufacturing line, refereeing a basketball game, running on a treadmill, and working at their desk.
- The four individuals, without warning, suffered Sudden Cardiac Arrest—their hearts stopped beating effectively and there were no signs of circulation—clinically considered deceased.
- The four organizations had an AED (automated external defibrillator) quickly and easily available along with people trained in CPR.
- The four trained responders readied AEDs to determine if a lifesaving shock was needed.
- The four AEDs verbally advised the responders to deliver a lifesaving shock.
- The four Cardiac Arrest victims were quickly transported to receive advanced medical care.
- The four people are alive today to tell their story!!!!!
They are Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survivors!!!!
On Saturday, March 28, as part of Red Cross Month, individuals who are survivors of cardiac arrest are invited to the First Survivors’ Birthday Party. Our hope is to enable survivors to come together to support and inspire one another, share their experiences, and celebrate their lives after cardiac arrest.
If you know of someone who is alive today because of an AED please let me know so we can invite them to this special event. Contact me at 314-516-2730 or dgarner@redcrossstl.org. To learn how your organization can get their own AED, click here.
Thanks for reading!
Dana
Dana Garner is an AED Program Specialist at the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter.
Tags:
1 comment(s) so far...
Re: Dana Garner- ABC's of the AED
I'm proud of your leadership on this issue, Dana! I look forward to updates on pending legislation in Missouri that would require the public placement of these lifesaving devices!
By Stephen Hall on
3/13/2009 7:51 PM
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|