There’s an easy way to save lives from sudden cardiac arrest

On Oct. 24, 2021, dressed as a zombie and dancing in Lexington’s annual Thriller Parade, I collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest and died in front of the Kentucky Theatre.

Main Street was packed with a thousand zombies and 10,000 spectators, making it impossible for an emergency vehicle to navigate through the horde of zombies. If not for the heroic actions of Charlotte Callan, who performed CPR for over 10 minutes, I would not be here today. She kept oxygenated blood flowing to my brain until paramedics arrived to shock my heart back to life with an Automated External Defibrillator. Charlotte was later honored by Mayor Linda Gorton with the Spirit of Lexington Award.

 The irony of my story is that while Charlotte was desperately pumping my chest in the street, there was an AED inside the office of the Kentucky Theatre. But no one knew how to find it, because Lexington doesn’t have them mapped! Knowing where AEDs are, saves lives; this asset could have saved critical minutes. In a sudden cardiac arrest event, every second matters; survival rates drop by 10 percent for every minute that passes without defibrillation. Having an AED nearby and accessible while waiting for an ambulance can mean the difference between life and death.

 Today, Charlotte and I are working together on a grassroots initiative to ensure that no one in Lexington dies next to a hidden defibrillator. We have launched the Cardiac Crusade / Lexington Re-start a Heart initiative, with a volunteer team of Cardiac CATS. Our goal is to make Lexington a more heart safe community.  

 If you download the PulsePoint AED app (NEAR) and look at Lexington, you can see all our mapped AEDs. Only the gold shields represent verified, functional AEDs that 911 dispatchers can use to direct bystanders. If you look at our neighbors in Nicholasville, or at progressive cities like Buffalo and Boston, their maps are filled with gold shields. Boston over-achieved and has grown to include areas all over Massachusetts.

 When I started laying the groundwork for this campaign in January, Lexington only had 4 Verified AEDs on the map.  Since then, we have mapped over 150, but we need a lot more.

 The data shows that mapping AEDs saves lives. Cities that have successfully mapped their AEDs and made their communities aware of this initiative—such as San Diego—have seen sudden cardiac arrest survival rates skyrocket from less than 10 percent to greater than 60 percent. This initiative helps every single citizen regardless of age, health status, or zip code, because sudden cardiac arrest can strike anyone, anywhere, with absolutely no warning.

 I am leading this initiative and have been working with city leaders to prepare for this campaign to map AEDs across Lexington.  The Lexington Fire Department, E911 unit and PulsePoint, along with Cardiac Crusade, are working together to ensure the software supports any needed upgrades. Our local emergency responders are already collaborating directly with their counterparts in Buffalo to replicate their success. Councilmember Tyler Morton, City Council and the Mayor’s office have promised their support in spreading the word.  Governor Andy Beshear supports this initiative, and we hope to include all of the Commonwealth in the future.

 We still need more volunteers and more healthcare sponsors to help us complete our city’s map. UK Healthcare has generously pledged to recruit medical students who can earn practicum hours by mapping AEDs, as the PulsePoint AED app tracks AEDs mapped in your profile. The American Heart Association has stepped up as our foundational sponsor and provided capital funding. Now, we need your help!

 You can become a “Cardiac CAT” today. Download the PulsePoint AED app (NEAR) and look for AEDs at the places you regularly visit—your office, gym, or grocery store—and see if their AEDs are on the map. You can take a free online training course through the Cardiac Crusade website to become a certified verifier, allowing you to log and verify AEDs while running everyday errands. This is not limited to Lexington; you can add an AED to the PulsePoint AED map anywhere you see one!

 I invite everyone—citizens, business owners, and potential corporate sponsors—to join us for our campaign kickoff press event on Oct. 16 at 5:00 p.m. at West Sixth Brewery, another sponsor. Let’s work together to make Lexington and all of the Commonwealth a more heart-safe place to live.