My name is Matthew O’Donnell I am a Firefighter and Paramedic in the city of Warwick, RI.  I am also an Account Executive for Emergency Medical Group (EMG) a company that specializes in Public Access Defibrillation programs.

One of my best friends called a few weeks ago and asked, “So how is Tim Russert’s case affecting you and the foundation’s efforts to raise awareness about saving lives?”

I told her that despite the very tragic news of his sudden death, the good news is that people are talking about heart attacks and other causes of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). We spoke about how much media coverage there has been on the topic. 

Then she said something that caught me completely off-guard. “So, do you want to know how it is affecting me?” "Sure," I said, wondering where this was going.