What You Do Saves Lives

Guest Blogger: Marc Watterson, Utah Government Relations Director

I wanted to draw your attention to an amazing story out of southern Utah that stands as an amazing reminder that the work we do truly does save lives!

Many of you might have seen the recent news about wrestlers from Hurricane High School who were out of town at a tournament and saved the life of a man who suffered a heart attack. What you might not have realized is that those students received life-saving CPR training while in school – a direct result of advocacy efforts that you helped pass at the state legislature two years ago!

Working with Representative Mel Brown and other legislators, advocates like you were able to successfully convince legislators to set aside funding so that all high school students in Utah would receive CPR training before they graduated. Allan Madsen, a senior at Hurricane High School, described to KSL his feelings after he and his team took action:

"It gives me chills every time I think about it," said Madsen. "I took a CPR class just a few weeks ago at school and it was great to have that knowledge when I was there."

The man, Kent Moser from Preston, Idaho, was taken to a hospital. He's doing well now. Doctors told the family the team saved his life.

Stories like this bolster our efforts and strengthen our resolve to see that heart-healthy policies are made a priority here in the state.

This session our You’re the Cure advocates have had an opportunity to advocate for important polices that will keep tobacco out of the hands of youth, provide life-saving insurance coverage to Utahns most in need, and ensure that students have a safe route to take to and from school. We continue to work on these important polices and know that – just like our work with CPR two years ago – adopting these policies will have a profound impact in our families, communities, and across the state.

Thank you for all you do to support the important work of the American Heart Association! I look forward to sharing a recap of this year’s legislative session with you next month. We appreciate your engagement and know that with each legislator you speak to and each action alert you respond to we are one step closer to fulfilling our life-saving mission.