School Defibrillator Saves
Life
WECT 6 Wilmington
July 7th, 2005
A miracle occurred at Supply Elementary School recently,
and that miracle came in the form of a defibrillator.
Theodore Johnson was playing basketball in a senior
league when he collapsed from a heart attack. As he
was going into cardiac arrest, assistant school teacher
Darrilyn Bellamy used the school's defibrillator to
save his life.
"Just to know that I was able to help, and Mr.
Johnson, seeing him for the first time since this
has happened, it's a miracle," says Bellamy.
Brian Watts with Brunswick County EMS says what happened
to Mr. Johnson has opened a lot of people's eyes.
"I think that after the situation here, the
school system learned that it's not only a piece of
equipment that sits in the back of a closet somewhere.
It's something that needs to be used," says Watts.
All Brunswick County high school and middle schools
have defibrillators. All elementary schools will have
them by the end of the summer. Administrators will
learn how to use a defibrillator this summer.
But if you aren't trained, there is no need to worry.
Some may think a defibrillator is difficult to use,
but all you have to do is press a button, and the
defibrillator will give you directions.
"Because of what happened to me, others will
probablly be able to live, because of the defibrillators
that have been installed since this time," says
Johnson.
Soon defibrillators will help even more citizens
in Brunswick County who may need a miracle.
Meanwhile, deputies and emergency workers in Pender
County are getting more of the lifesaving equipment.
The Cape Fear Memorial Foundation is donating more
than $36,000 to Pender County agencies so they can
buy defibrillators.
The devices will be placed in patrol cars, fire stations,
and with the Union Rescue Department. That way patients
suffering from cardiac arrest can get immediate help
before they get to the hospital.
A total of 26 defibrillators will be placed throughout
the county. |
