Throughout the year, our blog will feature AHA volunteer stories of survival and hope. We know there are thousands of stories like these - thats why we want to say “Thanks” to all of you for giving your time and sharing your lives with us. You can’t spell CURE without U! Thank you for all you do to build healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke. YOU’RE THE CURE!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Letter of the Day (April 19): Lifesaving skills

Two years ago, at age 18, I died. I suffered cardiac arrest while working at a store in the Mall of America. None of my young coworkers knew what to do when I collapsed. Thankfully, a security guard performed CPR on me and used an automated external defibrillator to shock my heart rhythm back.

But what if that security guard hadn't been there? That is why I urge passage of a bill that would require high school students to take simple, 30-minute, hands-only CPR training, just once, before they graduate.

Cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and survival rates are less than 6 percent. But bystander CPR can triple a person's chance of survival.
This bill provides such an easy way to teach teens how to save lives.

I plan to become a paramedic after getting my second chance at life. This bill would give every young person a chance to be lifesaver.

JAMIE LALONDE, BLOOMINGTON

Star Tribune- http://www.startribune.com/opinion/letters/148010035.html

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