Family of tragic actress gift four defibrillators to help save lives
Performer Julie (36) died suddenly on night out
THE family of a Belfast actress who died suddenly on a night out have donated a number of lifesaving defibrillators.
Julie Lewis (nee Maxwell) was 36 when she collapsed in the Sunflower Bar in August 2019.
Although paramedics rushed to t he scene, she was pronounced dead in hospital.
Survived by her husband Rhodri, she was a well-known performer at the Lyric Theatre and had also starred in BBC NI comedy Soft Border Patrol.
Her family have now installed four of the devices at arts and entertainment venues across the city in the hope they may one day save a life.
They were unveiled yesterday at the Lyric, at the Sunflower and American Bars, and at the South Bank rehearsal space on the Ormeau Road.
Her sister Stacey Mccann (33) and father Jim Mccann (58) thanked supporters who helped raise funds for the defibrillators.
A sponsored group walk at Cave Hill was originally planned in September, but coronavirus restrictions meant those taking part made the climb individually and posted a selfie at the top before donating.
“The generosity of people who donated was just unbelievable, so it just shows how well Julie was thought of,” Ms Mccann told the Belfast Telegraph.
“Even more than a year later people were still donating away. Now these devices will be there if anyone needs them, so no family will have to go through what we did.
“It was just one of those unexpected things with Julie, it could have happened to anyone.
“I don’t understand why it’s not compulsory to have them installed everywhere.”
Her father added: “If this had been here on the night Julie died, we may not have had to go through what we did.
“If it saves one life and stops a family going through this pain it’s well worth it.
“We were just at the Lyric, which was Julie’s second home. Everyone there knew Julie, she was there since the age of 12. As well as acting she had moved into assistant producing.
“To have a device there now that will be there forever, it would mean a lot to her and it means a lot to us.”
Mr Mccann said he was told that two people had suffered heart attacks at the Lyric last year alone.
He added: “Luckily enough the ambulance got there in time, but it just seems like common sense to have them there.”
Ms Mccann said her late sister would have been “overwhelmed” by the effort.
“People can be put off by defib machines, but they actually talk to you and tell you exactly what to do. Like a lot of people, I had never thought about using one of these machines before until I looked into it. Now I realise they aren’t in many places, and they really should be by law.”
Pedro Donald, owner of the Sunflower and American Bars, said all his staff would be receiving training on how to operate the new devices.
“When you think about it, it is surprising that they’re not everywhere,” he said.
“Hopefully this will kick-start awareness and we will see them in more places. We’re more than happy to be involved and do our bit.”
The installation of the devices comes 55 years after the first version of a portable defibrillator was installed in a Belfast ambulance after being designed by Lisburn man Professor Frank Pantridge.
Today around 1,500 cardiac arrests occur here outside of hospital every year, while nearly 2,000 automated external defibrillator devices are registered with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.