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The family of a seven-year-old girl who died from a rare heart condition are hoping the installation of the latest outdoor automated emergency defibrillator (AED) could help save more lives in Alberta.
Emily Lougheed died on August 2, 2020, after she collapsed while playing at the beach.
“Our daughter Emily was a vibrant seven-year-old, she always had a smile on her face and a giggle in her voice,” Leanne Lougheed, Emily’s mom, said on Wednesday.
“Emily fatally collapsed. There was no explanation, there were no warning signs. Emily’s condition was very rare — her heart was simply built differently.”
When she collapsed, Emily’s family “jumped into action” and grabbed a defibrillator, but Leanne said because her daughter had no pulse to restart, the AED didn’t work at resuscitating her.
“Talking between the two sides of the heart didn’t work,” her family said, explaining an electrical node on her heart was missing.
The sudden loss of Emily sparked action by her family to make AEDs more readily accessible in their rural county of Paintearth No. 18, located more than 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
Seven AEDs have been installed so far, with the eighth being unveiled at Gus Wetter School in Castor, where Emily used to be a student.
The family launched a group called Smile Like Emily as part of its push for AEDs.
Other schools, a ball diamond, and a Quality Fitness gym are some of the places were the AEDs have been installed.
The seven-year-old’s condition sent her into sudden cardiac arrest, which occurs when the heart stops beating and blood to stops pumping to the body, according to MyHealth Alberta.
CPR and AEDs can be used to help a person right away, shocking the heart back to a normal rhythm. AEDs are becoming more available in public places, though not as common in rural areas of Alberta.
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“If we can make our community heart safe and save one life, then I think that’s all we can ask for,” Leanne said.
The public AEDs installed, like the one at Gus Wetter School, were put in place through Action First Aid’s SaveStations. The AED cabinets can be installed both inside and outside and are available 24/7, senior account manager Christine Drury said.
“Cardiac arrest continues to be the number one cause of death of student athletes and as well as one of the number one causes of death in general,” Drury told Global News.
“In the event of cardiac arrest, minutes matter.
“Our chance of survival decreases by 10 per cent every minute that passes so good CPR and AEDs are necessary.”
Action First Aid and Drury have been working with Smile Like Emily for a number of years. Drury said each cabinet can cost as low as $1,000, though more sophisticated ones with security features can be several thousands of dollars.
Drury added if a cardiac arrest happens, people should call 911 immediately and then locate the nearest AED, which she said a 911 operator may be able to advise.
Emily’s family has no plans of slowing down and says they will continue to get the equipment installed in more locations.
“We are going to keep going and we’ll keep adding as funds come in, we’ll keep adding more AEDs and cabinets to the community, our county and hopefully spread out our radius a bit more,” Leanne said.
—with files from Jasmine King, Global News
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