Share Your Story: Judy Richards

 

Judy Richards Massachusetts

Judy’s daughter Kayla was a healthy and active 22-year-old. She had just entered the Radiographic Technology Program at Massasoit Community College, and was working at Jordan hospital in the diagnostic imaging program. A healthy young girl, she worked out often at her local gym. While using a treadmill on Tuesday, March 7th, 2006, during her daily workout, Kayla collapsed. A trained medic happened to be in the gym and initiated CPR. Kayla had suffered an arrhythmia, an abnormal heart rhythm, but there was no defibrillators at the gym to shock her heart back into a normal rhythm. While the paramedics who arrived on scene and the doctors and nurses in the emergency room did everything they could do to save her, by the time they reached her Kayla had been down too long. Judy worked with local legislators to file legislation to require all health clubs in the Commonwealth to have an AED and a trained staff member on site at all times. The American Heart Association has worked for several years to have AED’s placed in high risk areas, including health clubs. AHA could not have asked for a better advocate in Judy. Her hard work and persistence paid off, on his last day in office, January 4, 2007, Governor Romney signing into law Layla's bill. Judy continues to be a great advocate on the placement of AEDs and has taken as ner next challenge getting them into schools.

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