Defibrillators Save Lives

About a month ago a situation occurred in Haddenham Village Hall which made me appreciate several things, the most important of which is how precious life is.

I and several friends do line dancing classes in the hall on a Thursday night and about an hour into the class two friends went out to the toilet. We were suddenly aware of a call for help. One of the dancers had suddenly collapsed and very quickly went into cardiac arrest.

We were very fortunate to have an amazing group who interacted to save our friend's life before the emergency services arrived. What arose out of this event I wanted to share with you.

1. Are you aware of where AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) are situated in Haddenham and local villages? There's a permanently posted map on this website (linked from the Homepage) — see here.

2. Most AEDs in Haddenham are housed in locked caninets — you will need to ask the emergency operator for the code to open the cabinet. Some AEDs (e.g., those in Cuddington) are in open-access cabinets.

3. Don't be afraid to use the AED — you could save a life. You cannot do harm. The machines are highly automated and designed for use by non-experts — an automated voice will talk you all the way through.

4. For your personal benefit, ensure the emergency information on your phone is set up for other people to access if required. For help with this, see here.

If this information helps save a life it will be worth the effort.

I am pleased to report that it was a good outcome for our friend who is now well again. The cardiologist said the AED was essential in this outcome.

Thank you to Haddenham Heartbeat and Risborough Garage (who purchased the Library AED) for their efforts in obtaining the AEDs and keeping them serviced. Thanks also to our incredible emergency services.

Lindsey McGibbon