Mother's fundraising for defibrillators 'saved her life' after losing son to sudden cardiac arrest
Report by Rachel Sweeney
A woman from County Durham, whose son died from sudden cardiac arrest, is working with a local charity to raise money for more defibrillators to be installed around the North East.
Lisa Bentham's son, Will, died last August.
She said she struggled to come to terms with the loss and was 'completely lost' until the Red Sky Foundation reached out to her.
It is not known whether or not a defibrillator would have saved Will's life but Lisa said she had to do something to help the charity, in memory of her son.
Together, they began to raise more and more money.
The team is now speaking with councils right across the North East region to roll out this initiative.
What is the Red Sky Foundation?
The Red Sky Foundation is a charity, which raises money for babies and children with heart problems across the North East.
The charity was founded by Sergio and Emma Petrucci from Sunderland, after their daughter Luna received life-saving treatment in 2015. Luna, who is now seven, was born with a serious heart problem. She helps her parents show people that anyone can use a defibrillator.
Sergio and Emma wanted to raise funds to support the Children’s Heart Unit and to supply AED Defibrillators for people of all ages needing cardiac care across the region.
What is a defibrillator?
The British Heart Foundation says a defibrillator is "a device that gives a high energy electric shock to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest. This high energy shock is called defibrillation, and it is an essential part in trying to save the life of someone who is in cardiac arrest".
How are they used?
If someone is having cardiac arrest, you are advised to call 999 and begin CPR. If there is a defibrillator nearby, the emergency services will give you the code. You must send another person to bring it back as you are not advised to leave the patient.
The defibrillator starts when the green button is pressed. A voice talks the user through the process step-by-step.
One the pads are attached to the patient's chest, the machine will analyse the heartbeat and only administer a shock if cardiac arrest is detected.
Remember the chain of survival
To increase the chance of survival, the Red Sky Foundation promotes a concept called the 'chain of survival'. It is a step by step guide for someone to familiarise themselves with:
1) Early recognition of someone in cardiac arrest and getting assistance is the first step to helping them.
2) Performing CPR will help keep the brain and other vital organs supplied with blood and oxygen. According to research, CPR can double a person’s chances of survival.
3) You can triple a person’s chance of survival by using a defibrillator as soon as you can. For every minute without defibrillation, their chances of survival reduce by 10%.
4) Early advanced care by the paramedics will be helped by the CPR performed before they get there. If you start CPR within two minutes, use a defibrillator within four minutes and a paramedic arrives in eight minutes, patients will have a 40% chance of survival.
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