Story
Running the London Marathon for St John Ambulance
I am running for the charity that steps forward in the moments that matter, to save lives and keep communities safe: St John Ambulance.
More than 350,000 people in the US experience a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting every year. That's approx 1,000 people per day. Nearly 90% of these people die. That's approx 35,000 survivors per year, or about 100 per day (American Heart Association).
Rick
Unfortunately, for my family, friends and coworkers, we lost someone this way. Rick Fromet. He was one of the friendliest, most charismatic people anyone could know. He always saw the good in people, and forgave everyone for their faults. He was a constant friend. Always there for you, to help you, to cry with you, to laugh with you; he was a special person that only comes around once in a lifetime. He was someone who would give his shirt off his back, and help you at the drop of a hat. I was fortunate to have a really good relationship with him. We spent hours, for YEARS, every week chatting between work messenger and text messaging, sharing stories of personal woes, politics, and generally funny commentary.
He was a motorcycle enthusiast (to the detriment of myself and our friend Jessica)
Did I tell you 2 that I sleep ordered a new motorcycle seat at 3am last night??? LOLOL
a Star Wars nerd
Do they have Star Wars brand vitamin[s]?
a lover of videography and photography (he was a videographer by trade and took many, many photos that he only would share years later on special occasions) -
I literally have 52 pictures from Friday night with my neighbors! LOLOL
and someone who was inclusive of all but also hilariously inappropriate.
And an enthusiast of playing games with his daughter (dance dance revolution).
I got a perfect score to Bye Bye Bye by the Backstreet Boys. My crowning achievement. Lol
I felt very special to have this relationship with him. When he passed, I learned he had this closeness with a LOT of people. He wasn't just a people person, he cared about all people. He invested time and emotions into relationships. His passing was a traumatic loss for a whole organization, many friends and family, and for a wife and daughter who were just starting to enjoy life together as 3 adults should.
I reflect fondly on my memories of him. He will always be my 'work brother'/'work twin'.
Why knowing CPR is important
I don't know if expanded knowledge of CPR would've saved his life, but the odds are very likely that it could've....Only ~40% of people who experience cardiac arrest get CPR from a bystander. For every minute without CPR, decreases a person's chances of survival by 10% (NIH). Per NIH:
Early delivery of shock with defibrillator (aka CPR plus defibrillation) within 3-5 minutes of collapse can produce survival rates as high as 49-75%.
That's an increase of approx 390-650 additional survivors per day, if CPR were known by all and a bystander were available for all cases. Or an additional ~140k+ survivors per year.
What you can do to help
St. John Ambulance's goal is to educate people on first aid skills to save lives. The money fundraised will go to educating people on first aid skills, like CPR, to increase the amount of people out there with this knowledge and increase the survival rates of those who have sudden medical events that lead to cardiac arrest. I know this is an organization outside of the US, but starting small elsewhere can have a positive effect elsewhere
If you decide you are unable to donate OR you don't feel the cause is close enough to home, then instead commit to signing up for a local CPR course. I would rather have 50 more people know CPR and have 50 less donations.
It is only with your help that we can contribute to a safer world. Increasing the number of people in the world who know CPR will increase the total survival rate. A bystander could be a friend, relative, stranger, or coworker.
