The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and developments in sudden cardiac arrest prevention and treatment.
Happy to Be Alive
Dawn Blake, Andover, MN – 33 at the time of event (2006) I had my sudden cardiac arrest on May 19th, 2006 at the age of 33. I was sleeping on the couch because I thought I was having muscle spasms in my back. My husband Mike, who is an EMT, woke up to an unidentified sound and found me unresponsive. He started CPR and called 9-1-1… Read More
Angels Around Me
Cecilia Showman, Vista, CA – 33 at the time of event (2007) On December 14, 2007, I went to a local Japanese restaurant with my daughter. Afterwards we were supposed to see the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. From what I hear, I was either text messaging someone or e-mailing when my head went forward and then… Read More
The Luckiest Unlucky Day of My Life
Brett Daniel, Seattle, WA – 33 at the time of event (2007) On August 18th, 2007, while jogging with my wife and one-year-old son, I collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest. Like many survivors, I am only here to tell the story because it was the luckiest unlucky day of my 33 years of life. On a crystal-clear Seattle… Read More
iPods and Other Digital Media Players Safe for ICD Patients
April 4, 2008–WASHINGTON, D.C.–Digital media players are safe for use by patients with pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) according to new research published in the April issue of the Heart Rhythm Journal. Despite recent concerns raised about the potential for dangerous interactions between digital media players and… Read More
I Am Thankful to be Alive!
Kathleen Skenesky – Krum, TX – 58 at the time of the event (April 2, 2005) I am a nurse and was working that night. (I worked nights.) I was on my way to get ice for a patient, and the next thing I knew it was a week later. I was found by a co-worker, blue and with a big gash in my head (from falling). They called a “code” and from… Read More
The Best Payoff Ever
Ron Dundon, Kalamazoo, MI – 53 at the time of the event (February 9, 2003) Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) took my life. I was one of the lucky few to survive. I was playing in a hockey game and was saved by three other players. Since that fateful night, SCA has been my enemy. Upon learning the statistics behind the tragedy, I was driven to… Read More
Using Laughter to Raise Awareness
Tracey Conway – Seattle, WA – 38 at the time of the event (January 21, 1995) It is not unusual for celebrities who suffer a health crisis to become an advocate to promote the awareness, research and management of that disease or condition. Lance Armstrong uses his fame as a cyclist to help find a cure for the cancer that devastated him a decade… Read More
AHA Recommends Hands-Only CPR for Bystanders
April 1, 2008–DALLAS–Chest compressions alone, or Hands-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), can save lives and can be used to help an adult who suddenly collapses, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement. View the Science Advisory here The statement, from the association’s Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC)… Read More
AEDs and CPR Are Equally Helpful for SCA in the Home
Study Finds AEDs Underused at Home April 1, 2008–CHICAGO–The first study to explore the use of automated external defibrillator (AEDs) in the home has found that although the safe and easy-to-use devices are effective for certain types of cardiac arrest, they were underused. The Home Automated External Defibrillator Trial (HAT), a randomized… Read More