#CovidCPR: 40% rise in people seeking CPR training in Lincolnshire
The increase comes after footballer Christian Eriksen collapsed at the Euros
Last updated 28th Jun 2021
There's been a 40% rise in people seeking CPR training in Lincolnshire since footballer Christian Eriksen collapsed at the Euros.
The midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest in Denmark's opening Euro 2020 game.
Kirsty Raywood from first responder charity LIVES says places like schools, businesses and sports clubs have been getting in touch.
"They say it's now come to the forefront of their minds that this needs to be done now.
"Lincolnshire would be a safer place to be if people learned CPR."
Watching Eriksen receive CPR was particularly distressing for a Burgh Le Marsh family, who lost their teenage son in a very similar way.
Craig Rawlinson was playing football when he suffered a heart attack and suddenly died in 2012. People tried to save his life, but unfortunately, he didn't recover.
His mum Kay feels it's vital people get trained as it can happen to anyone.
"They were all stood around Craig like they were all stood around Christian Eriksen for half an hour working on him. Christian was fortunate, he’s come out of it.
"It was just very disturbing to think that somebody else was going to go through what we went through.
"Craig was only young when he died, 18, everything in front of him.
"Even now I’ve still got a big hole in my heart because he was just so young with so much to give and so much to live for.
"It just feels very unfair and not real, still not real."
First Responder Pippa Crust was inspired to volunteer after her 18 year old brother suffered a cardiac arrest and died because nobody gave him CPR.
"He just went down, no one knew what to do, no one assumed that in a young person it was going to be anything cardiac.
"No CPR was started and unfortunately, he died from that, at 15 that was a lot to have to live through.
"It's certainly one of the reasons why I learned to the level that I have done now."
But with the pandemic taking place, how do we give CPR in a safe way?
As part of #CovidCPR campaign Critical Care Paramedic Chris Cole explains.