LifeLine Thanks Supporters and Volunteers

By Stuart Wilson

Founders, member and donors of the LifeLine gathered at the Governor’s House on the Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman on Wednesday, 17th April for a reception to thank volunteers and supporters, who have contributed to the organisation’s success during the four years since its inception.

LifeLine was created to maintain a national database of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) linked to the Department of Public Safety Communications (911), in addition to donating AEDs to locations that are most in need.

The organisation also facilitates CPR training, offers a support network for those who have been involved in a resuscitation, holds round-table discussions with leaders of various industries to educate them on the benefits of AED ownership and CPR/AED training and a list of other activities.

Attendees at Thursday’s event were updated about the progress and recent successes of LifeLine, including over 200 AEDs now placed at various locations to save lives in the event of sudden cardiac arrest, for which there is a 10 percent survival rate when AEDs are present. In the Cayman Islands, the number is 1 percent.

LifeLine has also recently introduced a new Life Force volunteer programme in which volunteers receive 12 AEDS each and are respsonsible for distribution, training and oversight of the units. 

An Automated External Defibrillator, often referred to as just a defibrillator is a mobile device that reboots the heart, similar to rebooting a computer.

The AED only delivers a shock if it detects an electrical problem such as an arrhythmia (and even then, it will only shock two types of arrhythmias: pulseless ventricular tachycardia (v-tach) or ventricular fibrillation (v-fib)). This means that an AED cannot cause damage to a healthy heart or bring back to life a heart in which there is no electrical activity (asystole).

Once turned on the AED tells the operator what to do, like a talking robotic paramedic and when the pads/electrodes are placed on the patient, the AED will analyse the heartbeat and determine whether a shock is necessary.

“It is important to remember that this is not a machine to fear or be nervous of. All you have to do is turn it on and follow the oral instructions. It is there to help, and its presence should be reassuring,” noted LifeLong representatives.

During Wednesday’s ceremony at the Governor’s House attendees had an opportunity to meet Charles Adams Jr., whose life was saved using and AED device at the Tennis Club on 26th February, 2020, only weeks after the life saving machine had been placed at the facility.

Mr. Adam has gone on to become a massive supporter of the LifeLine and unveiled a special donation at Wednesday’s event.

“The new 60th anniversary of the first written Constitution of the Cayman Islands was commemorated with a special bank note, of which there was a million dollars printed. I have been collecting these over time and today, I would like to donate that collection, which amounts to CI$5,000 to the LifeLine Organisation,” he remarked.

Mrs. Glenna Black, who is one of the Directors of LifeLine thanked her fellow Directer and founder Christina Kish, who left her job as an attorney to start the life saving NPO.

In 2018 Christina’s son, daughter and husband were diagnosed with an electrical heart condition called Long QT Syndrome. Since then her family has embarked on a journey of medical education, including being trained and facilitating the training of over 200 others in the use of CPR and AEDs, and the dos and don’ts of life with a known electrical heart condition.

For more on LifeLine and to learn how you may be able to contribute visit their website at: https://lifeline.ky/