BOSTON — A national group hoping to help people survive cardiac arrest held their campaign launch Thursday night at a restaurant in Boston.
Cardiac Crusade was created in Texas, after one of the founders was saved by an automated external defibrillator, or AED.
“I was personally saved by an AED, and I am 5 years strong after that event,” Co-founder Julie Coons said.
Julie and her husband, Greg Coons, are going around the country to bring more AEDs to underserved areas.
“Boston has some pockets that are not at all covered by AED,” Julie said.
Her husband, Greg, says an AED is the only thing that can bring someone who is having cardiac arrest back to life. He wants to make sure people have access to the device and can find one quickly when someone’s heart stops. Minutes matter, as every minute that goes by, someone’s chances of survival drop. Only 10 percent of people who go through cardiac arrest survive.
“That’s the difference between someone living and someone dying,” Greg said. “On a mission to increase the survival rate of those going through cardiac arrest. It’s a no-brainer, of course, it needs to be on the map. Of course, it’s going to save lives.”
Their mission is to have phones tell people where the closest device is. Pulse Point has a map where you can see the thousands of AEDs in San Diego, California. You can zoom in and see which businesses have one. The Cardiac Crusade wants to get more cities on the map, so people can just hopefully, one day ask their phones where the nearest one is.
“The ability for any individual to be a lifesaver. Right? If they know where the AED is, they can help someone in need like I was helped,” Lauren Quint said.
Quint’s heart stopped a year and a half ago. People outside her doctor’s office in Norward rushed in to save her with an AED. Now, she’s volunteering with the mission to try and help more people.
“An AED mapped today might not save someone in the next month, but in 5 years, if you know it’s there, it could potentially save someone’s life then.”
Their goal is to add 1,500 AEDs to the map around Boston over the next few months.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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