A CHARITY formed in memory of a Bristol rugby player has installed its 100th public access defibrillator in Millennium Square.
The Sam Polledri Foundation has placed the device alongside its first defibrillator. It says the initial one is deployed regularly and can’t always be replaced instantly so having a second one close by will offer more consistent coverage.
The charity works with Great Western Air Ambulance Charity to install the life-saving devices and encourage people to develop confidence to use them.
Sam Polledri was just 24 years old when he had a cardiac arrest on a night out with friends in Millennium Square early in 2022. Sadly for Sam, there were no public access defibrillators around at the time. GWAAC’s crew attended Sam that night and did all that they could to help.
Sam’s mum Louise Polledri said: “We’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Sam Polledri Foundation, including those who generously donated at our recent Charity Dinner. The funds raised are helping us, through GWAAC, put lifesaving equipment into public spaces, ensuring fewer families experience the heartbreak we know all too well. We want to ensure that anyone who suffers an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has someone nearby who knows how to perform CPR and has a public access defibrillator within a three-minute walk.”
One quarter of GWAAC’s call-outs are to people suffering a cardiac arrest, and the specialist crew are the first to say that immediate bystander CPR and defibrillation are so important for giving someone their best chance of surviving a cardiac arrest when it happens outside of hospital.
Caroline Kivungi, from GWAAC, said: “We are very proud of the Sam Polledri Foundation’s achievements. In just four years, they have raised over £318,000 and have unveiled their 100th defibrillator. Together we are raising awareness of the importance of CPR and defibrillation and helping to make communities a safer place for people who suffer a cardiac arrest. “
Find out more at: https://greatwesternairambulance.enthuse.com/cf/sam-polledri-foundation