Kerry has two new defibrillators after Audrey and Eileen’s efforts
AFTER suffering a heart attack in the centre of Tralee back in early January, a well-placed defibrillator was used to save the life of Tralee woman, Therese O’Brien.
Now, after a coffee morning fund-raiser and generous donations from the public, Therese, her sister Audrey, and Eileen Whelan of Paco, Tralee, have been able to purchase three new defibrillators for Kerry.
One of these defibrillators was presented to the Tralee Community Responders, and the second was presented to Foley’s SPAR Express on the Castlemaine road. A third defibrillator is promised in August, and it will be placed in an as yet undetermined location in Tralee.
Each defibrillator costs about €1,400 each and Paco’s Eileen Whelan said that without the support of the people of Tralee, getting these new defibrillators would not have been possible.
“This is great for Audrey and for Therese, they were the ones that came up with the idea. Audrey, I know is absolutely thrilled,” said Eileen, speaking to The Kerryman on Monday.
“She wanted to give back to the people, and Therese is alive today only because of a defibrillator,” she continued.
“The people of Tralee, I find that, as a fundraiser myself, they are absolutely fantastic for causes such as this. They are great for giving towards causes such as this,” she said.
Eileen went on to say that everyone should try to avail of training from the Tralee Community Responders.
“It’s a fantastic thing to be able to know how to use these machines.”