IN MY VIEW
By golf legend Bernard Gallacher
I OWE my life to a defibrillator – and the people who knew how to use it.
When I suffered a cardiac arrest in 2013 at the Marcliffe Hotel in Aberdeen I was extremely fortunate.
Not only did the hotel I was about to give an after-dinner speech in have a defibrillator, but there were also two Accident & Emergency nurses in the audience.
They quickly recognised the situation and gave me CPR until the defibrillator was found.
Cardiac arrest can happen at any time and to anyone irrespective of age.
It’s great the Western Isles is introducing this initiative. It is proactive and visionary.
By jogger Jeremy Southam
TWO years ago, I would not have survived if a passing good Samaritan hadn’t noticed I’d collapsed while out jogging.
While I was out cold he performed CPR on me until an ambulance arrived. He undoubtedly save my life.
I now do talks about this issue and have started visiting schools. In Edinburgh where I live, I am unaware of many secondary schools with defibs.
These devices are important but so is the training to use them.
In contrast, I was at a school in South Lanarkshire last week, which had two defibs and trained staff able to use them.
That is the standard we must aspire to.