07/30/2023
AEDs should be required in any area where physical activity occurs. If you, your family, your friends, and your coworkers aren’t trained in CPR, call us! We can help!
Once again the collective sports world held its breath as another young man struggled with a cardiac event. I can only imagine the terror the parents felt at such news. At that point, the outside world vanishes. No one cares about shooting percentage, rebounds, or even championships and rings. The parents just want to know “will my child be alright”? My prayers are certainly with Bronny, LeBron and Savannah James, as they were with Damar Hamlin and his family. Regardless of skill level or notoriety, at the root, they are still someone’s beloved child. But my prayers go beyond those two exceptional young men. My prayers are also for the kid who passed out at the city playground, or collapsed as he or she shot hoops on the rim installed on the barn wall. I pray that when these children have a life threatening event of any kind, the medical care will be as prompt, and as expert as that afforded these two young men. Too many parents struggle not only with the burden of their child’s ailment, but the challenge of funding their recovery. After four decades of fighting for the health of children, I see that there are disparities in the healthcare system that still exist. Not all children have the capability to obtain top of the line health care, but they should. We must attract bright young minds to the idea of treating underprivileged communities. Every little gym needs an AED device, and someone trained to use it. If a young person is so inclined to care for the underserved, there must be grants that will allow them to earn a living when publicly funded health insurances fall short. Damar Hamlin recovered fully. I pray that young Mr. James will have a perfect outcome as well. But EVERY child, whether ill or injured, needs to have the same chance. When it comes to healthcare, whether the EMT’s cut away a Buffalo Bills jersey, a USC practice jersey or a soiled Goodwill teeshirt, they must find a heart underneath, worthy of every possible rescue effort, and given the same chance to beat once again.
