Family of 14-year-old who is saved by a defibrillator in Cornwall launch fundraiser
The family are calling for more defibrillators to be put up across the Duchy
The family of a boy who had his life saved with a defibrillator are fundraising for more to be put in place across Cornwall.
14-year-old Oscar collapsed and stopped breathing when on a mountain bike last week, which resulted in his heart stopping.
Gemma Dawe, Oscar's aunt, told us: "He's very, very lucky that someone was there, and things were done quick enough that he actually has survived with no permanent damage.
"There's so many other people we're hearing about that have had similar stories, some with similar outcomes and some with not so nice outcomes. We're trying to raise as much as we can, so no-one goes through what we've been through as a family".
The family of Oscar started the fundraiser hoping to raise enough money for one defibrillator in the local area, to help save other lives. Within 24 hours, they say they exceeded their target and now are continuing to appeal for donations to get more defibrillators put up across the county.
"It is vital that these machines are around"
His family wrote: "Due to the quick thinking of one incredible person there that night and a team effort of everyone else involved, they managed to perform CPR and get a defibrillator from the nearest village, which resulted in them saving Oscar's life.
"They managed to get Oscar's heart started again and he was rushed to Derriford Hospital, but he had not regained consciousness. When he got there, he was still in a critical condition and was transported to Bristol's Children's Hospital, where he was put in an induced coma and put onto life support. He remained in a coma for a few days, but the team of amazing doctors and nurses slowly brought him out of his coma".
"One little machine, in the middle of no where, in a muddy car park on the moors, managed to save Oscar's life. We are so grateful to everyone involved in Oscar's treatment, but especially grateful that there was a defibrillator so close to where they were riding.
"Oscar would not be alive if it wasn't for that defibrillator so we want to get more into the local community. Cornwall has so many rural areas that ambulances would struggle to get to in enough time to save someone's life, so it is vital that these machines are around. So we are fundraising for more!
"Thank you for taking the time to read this, let's hope we can get enough money to get at least one more defibrillator into the local area but let's not stop at one!"
Gemma continued: "Oscar's outcome has been the best it could possibly be. If there's not those defibrillators out there, it's not going to be the same outcome for other people.
"We just want to get as many defibrillators as possible out there for other people".
You can donate to their just CrowdFunder page here.