About six years ago Cher Will lost a friend to sudden cardiac arrest, after CPR was performed for an hour while waiting for the rescue squad. Since then she made it her mission to get Automated External Defibrillators all across St. Croix.
Sunday she gave the 81st portable device to the members of the Myron G. Danielson American Legion Post 85 on Hospital Street in Christiansted.
In the case of sudden cardiac arrest, the AED checks the heart rhythm and can send an electric shock to the heart to restore a normal rhythm. Sudden cardiac arrest causes death if not treated in 10 minutes.
Will said the rescue squad can’t possibly get to someone in ten minutes. She is working with Sen. Sammuel Sanes to get the locations of all AEDs on St. Croix into a data base called Crowdsav, which will be downloadable to a smart phone.
There are 111 AEDs on St. Croix that she knows of, Will said, and if they are in a widely available list, they will be easily accessible to people in need. According to the American Heart Association, St. Croix has the most AEDs per capita of anyplace in the United States.
All of the fire and police personnel on St. Croix are trained in the proper use of the AED.
Annie Day Henry, a nurse and the commander of Post 102, said the AEDs are priceless. She looked around at the posts’ membership and said, “considering all of the members are not so young and anyone could fall down from cardiac arrest at any time, the AED is very beneficial.”
She told the members gathered for a regular meeting there is nothing to be afraid of and that the equipment is easy to use.
“It talks you through it, “ Henry said.
On Amazon, the AED’s cost $1,198, she said. Through Sen. Sanes’ recommendation, a person at the dealer where the AED was purchased donated the unit to the American Legion Post.
