Last week, Rugby and Bulkington Mark Pawsey MP met with inspirational charity The Oliver King Foundation in Westminster to support their campaign to have defibrillators installed at every school in the county.
The Oliver King Foundation was set up in 2012 in memory of 12-year-old Oliver King. He tragically died from a sudden cardiac arrest whilst at school. If a defibrillator had been available on that day, it could have saved Oliver’s life.
Every single year in the UK 600 young people die from Sudden Cardiac Arrest and it is estimated that 270 of these deaths occur in schools. Every week in the UK 12 young people die from sudden cardiac arrest, with nearly half of those deaths occurring at school. Only 1 in every 10 who suffer a cardiac arrest survives.
Early access to a defibrillator is vital. For every minute that passes following a cardiac arrest, chances of survival drop by 10%. Studies have shown that access to a defibrillator can increase survival rates by a massive 75%.
Signing up to become a Defibrillator Champion, Mark said:
“I am proud to become a lifesaving Defibrillator Champion for Rugby and Bulkington. It is vital that we take action to prevent any loss of life. I will be contacting our local schools to urge them to contact the Oliver King Foundation and get lifesaving defibrillators in our area.”
Mark continued:
“Only last year, 25 lives were saved by defibrillators placed around the UK by the Oliver King Foundation. Until I met with them, I was not aware of how many young people are at risk from cardiac arrests. Whilst many of us will think that cardiac arrest could not possibly happen to us or one of our loved ones at a school, tragically it is all too common.”
Mark concluded:
“The Oliver King Foundation has already provided over 2,000 defibrillators and hopes to have one in every school by 2020, when Oliver would have been 21. I hope that schools in Rugby and Bulkington will consider installing a defibrillator to have that resource available and ensure that no family in our area has to suffer the same loss.”