Last week, Lauren's Law, HB 3724, was heard in front of the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. This bill would ensure all Illinois high schools students were trained in CPR and AED use prior to high school graduation. It is named in honor of Lauren Laman who tragically lost her life to sudden cardiac arrest during high school drill team practice because those around her did not know how to perform CPR or use an AED that was available to them.
Lauren's family, including her father George, mother Mary and brother Matt attended the hearing and spoke to the committee on the importance of this life-saving legislation and teaching high school students this important skill that could have saved their daughter and sister.
Also, testifying before the committee was Harry and Bridgette Bell. On the evening of January 13, 2014, a 50 year-old father of four named Eric Bell suddenly fell to the floor of his Elmhurst, IL home due to SCA, just as Lauren had a few years earlier. In this case, however, Eric’s son Harry, a 17 year-old high-school junior, had recently received basic CPR and AED training at school. Harry sprang into action and began performing CPR as his mother called 9-1-1. EMS crews arrived a few minutes later to administer an AED and transport Eric to the hospital. Thanks to Harry’s bravery and CPR training, Eric survived and has made a full recover. According to Dr. Anand Ramanathan, who treated Eric upon arrival at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, "the CPR kept him alive until help got there. The hospital intervention was after the fact, frankly. The main reason he’s alive today is because of the CPR he received at home."
Lauren's Law successfully passed out of committee thanks to our wonderful advocate testimony. Stay tuned ways you can help this life-saving legislation continue to move closer to becoming a law.
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