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On Dec. 13, 2000, my son Timothy ran up the stairs, sat down and died of sudden cardiac arrest. He was an athlete. He never smoked, abused alcohol or used drugs of any kind. He had just graduated from film school and was ready to take on the world. My son, my heart, my joy. He was just 22. If an automated external defibrillator had been available, I believe he would be alive today.
Sudden cardiac arrest is a condition in which the heart stops abruptly and unexpectedly and no longer pumps blood. There is a sudden loss of electrical heart function caused by ventricular fibrillation, an abnormality in the heart’s electrical system that causes the heart to quiver and blood flow to the body and brain to stop.
SCA occurs without respect to age, race or gender. It is usually caused by a previously undiagnosed congenital or acquired heart disorder, and can cause death if emergency care is not immediately available, SCA is not a heart attack.
The causes of SCA can be genetic or acquired – caused by viral illness or a sudden blow to the chest. The origins of this condition are often difficult to diagnose and in some cases it may not be possible to identify the precise cause.
When SCA occurs, every minute that passes without defibrillation decreases the victim’s chance of survival by 10 percent. In 6 minutes that victim’s brain has died.
If that victim had been your child, how many minutes would you be willing to wait for the rescue squad when an AED is not available at your child’s school or sporting event? When every minute counts, you can make the difference by being prepared for this emergency.
School has begun anew. Does your child’s school have an AED? If so, do you know where it is and how to use it? If not, why not? Does your child’s school have an emergency plan in place? Does it include a chain of survival?
It is my mission to educate parents about SCA. Please make it your mission to keep your child safe from SCA by having an AED available and a chain-of-survival program in place.
A parent should never have to say my child was “gone in a heartbeat.”
(Khristin Carroll lives in Concord.)
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A Mother's Story
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Khristin Carroll mission to promote AED deserves applause. However, her lack of candor that an AED would have saved her son’s life is wishful thinking. What Khristin fails to say is her son was alone when his heart stopped beating. Sad event when someone takes a good cause to promote their own personal needs.
I don’t know the personal events that led to the death of Khristin’s son. However, I can relate to the absolute despair and grief that comes when you bury a child. I think that Khristin is entitled to a little “wishful thinking,” as you describe it. The fact that Khristin can get out of bed every morning after losing a child is an admirable feat. The fact that she wishes to direct so much of her energy into helping other children, by placing AED devices in facilities, whether it would have actually saved her child or not, is a miracle.
Does this web site select what comments can be made about articles? This is a repeat of my original comments. Khristin Carroll should be applauded for her efforts in enlightening the public about the need for AEDs in public places. However, Khristin sells her commitment by a false claim that an AED would have saved her son’s life. The sad fact is that Tim Carroll died with no one present so an AED in this particular circumstance was not a solution. Khristin needs to separate fact from fiction in order to move on with her life.