Paying it Forward with a 24/7 Accessible AED

By Paul Dogra

Making our Community #CardiacSafe!

About My Campaign

The Dogras challenge you to help us PAY IT FORWARD and fundraise to place an outdoor defibrillator in another community for everyone to have access to 24/7!

Our family has seen first hand how minutes truly matter when sudden cardiac arrest strikes. I am a true example of how sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, and at any time. I was 46 years old playing hockey at the University of Ottawa when it happened to me, and through the help of bystanders who began CPR and the use of a publicly accessible AED , I was saved before paramedics arrived. We want to do everything we can to ensure quick access to publicly accessible AEDs that are available for anyone to use 24/7 - Join us in making our community a safer place!


PAYING IT FORWARD

As a family, we decided to place a life-saving AED (Automated External Defibrillator) on the side of our home in an outdoor SaveStation so that it’s publicly accessible, 24/7. We know just how critical it is to have a defibrillator used within the first 10 minutes of an arrest, and we want to do everything we can to make sure our neighbourhood is protected!

We don’t want this movement to stop here, we want to challenge all of our neighbours, friends, family members, and colleagues to help us pay it forward and make a donation to help us fund the placement of the next neighbourhood SaveStation in our community.


HELP US DONATE A 24/7 ACCESSIBLE LIFE-SAVING AED

We have decided to spearhead this initiative to get not only one, but with all of your help, another publically accessible AED placed outdoors into another community. The AED will be placed in an outdoor weatherproof SaveStation so that it is available 24/7 year round for any one of us to use. It will be located on the side of a home, visible and easy for anyone to access if needed.

We've always been a close neighbourhood, now let’s take it one step further to not only protect each other, but inspire other neighbourhoods to do the same!

Note: Fundraising total includes all upfront costs for the AED and SaveStation cabinet including taxes.

My Updates

We're fundraising to help another community make this SaveStation, with a life-saving AED, accessible to their neighbours 24/7

This SaveStation is clearly marked for public use and can be mounted on the side of a house to make sure that the AED inside is available 24/7 for anyone in the neighbourhood to access anytime of day or night. The technology built into this SaveStation allows for 24/7 monitoring of the AED to ensure it is always ‘ready for rescue’ and will take a picture when the cabinet is opened. This cabinet also keeps the AED warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Why should we care about 24/7 access to an AED?

There are over 40,000 deaths a year across Canada due to Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) – the majority of these occurring near or in the home. 

Quick access to an AED makes all the difference. Over 75% of SCA victims are treatable with a defibrillator but only if used within the first 10 minutes. 

The reality is, in most cases emergency services just don't arrive in time - having an AED within our community allows everyday neighbours to take action while medical help is on the way.

uOttawa Heroes Recognized for Lifesaving

Yves Goyette, University of Ottawa assistant operations manager, was doing some paperwork when a spectator told him a player needed urgent medical attention. Emergency services had already been called, but Goyette reacted within seconds, rushing to the side of the unconscious man.

Suddenly, the victim stopped breathing. Goyette radioed for an automated external defibrillator and, with help from some of the players, began CPR.

By the time paramedics arrived, the victim had regained his pulse and was breathing on his own. 

https://www.uottawa.ca/gazette/en/news/four-uottawa-heroes-recognized-lifesaving

'Neighbourhood Defibrillator Program'

Thank you to my Sponsors

$100

Cecile Fournier

$260

Roberto Bernabo

$52

Marek Gryko

$104

Upper Hunt Club Neighbourhood Association

$100

Anonymous

$104

Don Haig

$104

Stewart Hum

Thank you for starting this initiative.

$104

Mark Sylvester