Youth soccer coach Geoff Brogan wouldn't still be alive if it wasn't for a heart defibrillator. When he collapsed with a heart attack recently during a friendly game, he was revived by his team mates with the help of a nearby AED.
Now, Brogan is featuring in a video made as part of a programme to roll out thousands of heart defibrillators to football clubs around NZ. AEDs shock the heart back into life after cardiac arrest. They are designed to be easy to use, allowing anyone to provide that critical life support before professional help arrives.
Brogan is delighted to see the distribution of the AEDs. "I think it's fantastic. It's a brilliant outcome, not just for football, but in raising awareness for the general public," Brogan said. "This is one way of the community responding to the need for the provision of defibrillators in public places."
Brogan is fully recovered and back playing soccer at his Western Springs club. As part of the video promotion, he gathered with his mates at the club last week where they reminisced about how he was bought back to life on the field using the defibrillator.
Professor Harvey White, director of coronary care at Auckland Hospital is equally pleased with the distribution programme. White has long campaigned for more heart defibrillators in public places. NZ Football's programme sends a powerful message to other organisations, he said, and he is calling for others to meet their initiative. Being able to give AED shocks before the arrival of an ambulance doubles a victim's chance of survival, White said.
If you think you or your organisation would benefit from gaining confidence in using a heart defibrillator, Meditrain & Essential First Aid Supplies provide defibrillator training from qualified experts, suitable for everyone.
