Attendees to July’s Bundaberg Business Breakfast were given the opportunity to enter a competition to win a Heart 180 defibrillator as part of the theme “Healthcare priorities in the workplace”.
The competition was open to local non-profit organisations and was made possible thanks to guest speaker for the breakfast, renowned professional athlete, Iron Man and ‘Survivor’ television series winner, Guy Leech.
Guy spoke to the audience about a lifechanging event that occurred in 2016, leading him to establish Heart 180.
“One of my best mates ‘Chucky’ collapsed after one of our training sessions,” Guy said.
Finding himself in an impossible situation, Guy quickly did what he thought was the right thing by checking his mate’s airway, breathing and circulation.
“I called the ambulance and started CPR,” Guy said.
“I thought everything will be ok… Chucky will be fine.”
Unfortunately, Chucky never recovered and passed away after a week in hospital.
The most haunting question Guy askes himself is, what if?
“What if I had a defib in the car or the nearby cafe had a defib,” he said.
“What if I could have put Chucky on a defib in that first 180 seconds?”
Guy said around 100 people die from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) every day.
He said more than 70 of these could possibly survive if there was access to a defibrillator within 180 seconds.
“We are talking about around 22,000 people who would be alive the following year,” Guy said.
“That’s a significant and dominant number for me.”
Guy said a highlight of the breakfast was the energy in the room when he spoke about his defib mission.
He said he was positive his visit to Bundaberg would lead to more defibrillators in the community, making it a safer place.
“I think it good to visit a regional town and talk to the decision makers and business owners,” Guy said.
“From the breakfast, several business owners have been in contact to purchase a defibrillator for their establishments.”
Heart 180 defibrillator competition details
The competition for a local not-for-profit organisation to win a Heart 180 defibrillator is open now and the winner will be announced on Monday 28 August 2023.
More information can be found here.
