Our Community Champion for Surbiton in London, Phil Harris, is running the London Marathon on the 22nd April to raise funds for a defibrillator (AED) for his local area.
Here are a few words from Phil.
“I Heart Surbiton
100,000 people a year die from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), 620 of these are people under the age of 35 and 270 of these deaths happen to children within schools. If defibrillation takes place within the first three minutes of a SCA, the patient’s chances of survival increase by upwards of 80%.
Aside from the incredible difference it can make there are a few things that have happened to bring me to where I am today.
- My Dad, who is a Heartstart trainer, found an unconscious man at a car boot sale last year, he suddenly found himself having to give CPR until the ambulance arrived, there was no AED anywhere near where they were. It was after hearing a firsthand account of trying to keep someone alive that I realised, I needed heart-start training for myself
- I took an Heartstart Course to learn CPR and realised how potentially life saving they could be but I had no idea where any AEDs in the area were located.
- After the course I looked online to see where the nearest AED is in Surbiton and found that we don’t have a single 24/7 publicly accessible one.
As I’ve been lucky enough to get a place in the London Marathon (22nd April) via the ballot I would use the opportunity to raise some money for an AED in Surbiton – location tbc.
Please donate whatever you can afford, knowing that your donation could save a friend, family member or even you if you ever have a cardiac arrest.”
If you are interested in becoming a Community Champion yourself or are aware of any places which may benefit from having public access to a defibrillator then please contact the office on 01785 472224 or info@aeddonate.org.uk. We will help you manage the campaign from start to finish, helping you to help your community on its way to becoming heart safe.