Meig Walz Newcomb, of Madison, lost her husband Chris on January 20, 2012 to Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Meig had decided that she wanted to bring awareness to the importance of knowing CPR and signs of a heart attack. She also dedicated her time to raising funds to support heart research. So Meig, along with other friends and sponsors, decided to put together a Sock Hop to benefit the American Heart Association.
Over $4,000 was raised and a check presentation was made to the American Heart Association at the Madison Library on June 21st. On hand for the presentation, along with Meig, were John Bailey of the American Heart Association, Representative Noreen Kokurada (Rep-Madison), Attorney Russell Brinn and Ed Pellegrino of Coldwell Banker.
Cardiac arrest is the sudden, abrupt loss of heart function. It occurs when electrical impulses in the heart become rapid or chaotic, which causes the heart to suddenly stop beating. Cardiac arrest can be reversed if it's treated within a few minutes with an electric shock to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat. This process is called defibrillation and requires an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
The American Heart Association is calling for legislation that would require high school students to be trained in CPR before graduation. Brain death and permanent death start to occur in just 4 to 6 minutes after cardiac arrest. Early CPR and rapid defibrillation combined with early advanced care can result in high long-term survival rates for witnessed cardiac arrest.
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