Sangha of Auspicious Companions

Man Climbs Everest to Install Defibrillator—Three Weeks Later It Saves a Young Life

David Sullivan lost four friends under the age of 45 due to cardiac arrest. The first moments are critical: “the use of a defibrillator within the first 3 minutes of a heart attack can improve survival rates from 8% to over 50%.” He learned and performed CPR for a young lad only three months after learning while thirty people watched because they didn’t know how. “When the lad’s mum called me the next day to say he was alive, it changed my life forever.” Sullivan founded an organization that trains defibrillator use and CPR skills at home and around the world. Around the world includes classes and training in Nepal, and a16,500 feet climb to install a defibrillator in a village near Mount Everest base camp. Three weeks after the installation, he learned that it saved a young climber’s life. “It was the proudest moment of my life when I learned what had happened,” Sullivan said. His current effort is to see 1.2 million children across London trained in CPR.

Be The Change

If you do not already know how, learn to use a defibrillator and/or CPR, or support a community effort to train others.