By Jennifer Browning
While playing soccer on his lunch break back in June, Brian Buck, 30, suffered from a sudden cardiac arrest. He was
Dr. Lance Becker joined the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Coalition at a Capitol Hill "Call to Action" briefing where he the led attendees in a CPR training. Photo courtesy of Jeanette Galie Burkle
unconscious for three minutes before his colleague and rescuer, Cheryl Victoria, began the chain of survival and started CPR, as part of their company’s emergency response plan. Buck regained a pulse and was transported to the hospital where he was treated with hypothermia therapy and remained unconscious for 24 hours.
This was the emotional testimony Buck shared with over 40 organizations who met on Capitol Hill to hear the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Coalition’s (SCAC) Call to Action in reducing sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) deaths. The briefing was organized by the SCA Coalition, of which Mended Hearts is a member, on the 50th anniversary of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Neal Gregory, president of Washington, D.C.’s Mended Hearts chapter #94 and Marcia Baker, Field Services Director, joined various members of the media and over 100 congressional representatives. The October 5 awareness briefing asked members of Congress to commit to three agenda items:
- Join the Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition and raise awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
- Work to assure all high school graduates are trained in CPR and AED life-saving skills.
- Fund research allowing scientists to chart a course for better SCA survival outcomes that includes consistent, accurate data collection across the country.
Dr. Lance Becker one of the country’s leading SCA response experts and a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, provided his perspective on the barriers and opportunities in improving SCA survival rates. Dr. Becker, who is part of a nation-wide team of resuscitation experts embarking on an innovative project to reduce SCA deaths, pointed out the progress being made in the role of bystanders, technology, policy and research.
Baker who is also a a member of the SCAC Steering Committee said hearing Buck’s story of surviving cardiac arrest was compelling, and that it emphasized the specific advocacy issues set forth in the coalition’s “Call to Action” meeting.
“Brian’s story, along with the rescuer’s story helped reinforce the importance of [bystanders and family members] knowing CPR and having an available AED to apply cardioversion,” Baker said. “The EMS system 9-1-1 was immediately called by the rescuer and while waiting, Cheryl used her skills of CPR to save Brian. It was a combination appeal that showed a success story of knowing what to do when you observe the warnings signs.”
Victoria, who saved Buck’s life on that soccer field in June, told Congress by meeting the three agendas set forth by the coalition that they have the power to save lives by meeting SCAC’s call to action.
“I contributed to saving one life based on my knowledge of CPR, but members of Congress have the power to save thousands by meeting the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Coalition’s call to action,” Victoria, who is the coordinator for exercise physiology and fitness services at the ConocoPhillips Wellness Center, said.
*The SCA Coalition is comprised of 43 organizations passionate about preventing sudden cardiac arrest deaths through national legislative initiatives that lead to greater public awareness, research and access to life-saving therapies.
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