A Timperley football coach’s dice with death has inspired his friends to raise money and install a defibrillator outside a Park Road gym.
Involved with Unicorn Athletic Junior FC for more than 25 years, Darren Storey suffered a serious heart condition which he described as a “total wake-up call”.
He said that despite a healthy lifestyle which includes several gym sessions each week, his life-changing experience had made him aware that “anyone, however healthy, is at risk from a sudden cardiac arrest”.
The British Heart Foundation states that more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur each year in the UK, with nine out of 10 fatal. Every minute without CPR and defibrillation decreases a person’s chances of survival by up to 10% however prompt CPR and defibrillation can more than double someone’s chance of survival.
Fund-raising by Darren’s gym mates has now enabled a defibrillator to be installed outside Sean Salinger Fitness on the Park Road Estate in Timperley.
Darren said: “Experiencing a sudden heart issue makes you very aware of your mortality. I’m more conscious than ever of where to access support if someone has a cardiac arrest.
“After my experience, I ended up in hospital and was worrying about work. My son Sam simply said: ‘They can get a replacement estimator, but I can’t get another dad.’ That was hard to hear. Life is precious and it’s important we do all we can to help others so I’m eager to create awareness of where people can access a defibrillator in case it’s ever needed.”
Gym owner Sean Salinger added: “Darren’s story really hit home. Cardiac arrests can affect anyone, however healthy. We’re proud to provide a potentially life-saving defibrillator to benefit the whole community.
“It’s available for use 24/7 all year round and has been provided thanks to our members’ generosity in fund-raising, plus donations and support from local business. It has been a truly humbling experience. One of our members is a paramedic and he’s also providing life-saving CPR lessons and in defibrillator use to help the community.”
Darren added: “If it can help save a life, then that would be amazing.”
In the event of a cardiac arrest and someone calling 999 they may be guided to the nearest defibrillator before an ambulance arrives. The emergency services will advise the caller on accessing the device and the automated system will instruct the user on how to operate the defibrillator to provide life-saving treatment.
